A Hidden Warrior
by OtterPiper
Summary: DISCONTINUED! Eritess is a young plant dragoness, a recently discovered element. She has always dreamed of adventures and warriors but when faced with the actual thing, will she turn tail and flee or will she fight with the famed trio Spyro, Flame, and Cynder and know what its like to be a real hero? Flame/OC Spyro/Cynder Rated T for violence and minor language
1. Chapter 1

**My new story! Again, please note that this story does not work with Always Second Place in any way shape or form. :)  
I have been working on this plot for a while, so it was fun to begin writing it out.**

I'm not sure if I'm going to make this a romance or not, so I'm letting you (the reader) choose! :D  
Should it be a romance or not? If so, with whom? OC, Spyro, Flame, any other dragon. Its all up to you! I don't write yuri though, so please don't ask. I won't start the next chapter until I have at least 2 votes for one option. :)  
…._  
There was no where to run. No where to hide. His elements long ago used away, the wounded dragon turned around to face the bloodthirsty demon, Wethm. The dark blue demon bared his long, yellow fangs in a gristly smile, revealing the drying blood caked on his teeth. The yellow dragon backed up, his limbs trembling. What was he to do? What was he to say? _

_ Wethm watched the terrified reptile as he backed against the walls he was trapped in, his grin never leaving his face. "No longer a warrior now, are you Torritask? You call yourself brave, but when faced with a true challenge, you cower away and leave the other to fight." He laughed at this part, his laughter like a thousand knifes slicing through the air. "There is no where else to cower away from me. Redeem your lowered status and fight me." _

_ Torritask turned wide silver eyes on the demon. Terror shone through them, glittering like a dark crystal on a high sun day. "Just leave. There is nothing for you here." He finally spoke in a shaky voice. _

_ "Fine, I'll leave you alive, Torritask. But I promised the Reaper one more task. Doesn't that lovely electric dragoness you adore so much sound well? What do you call her? Oh yes, Endir." Wethm carelessly lifted a heavily taloned paw, bringing it to his chin to scratch thoughtfully at it._

_ "No!" Torritask growled, his fear being replaced by anger. "You leave Endir alone, you scum!" The dragon pulled his trusty bejeweled sword from its sheath on his back, the silver metal gleaming brightly in the fading moonlight. With a fierce yell, Torritask launched himself at the demon, sword drawn to kill. Wethm, surprised by the sudden attack, just barely managed to parry the blow with his own golden sword. _

_ The two glared at each other from opposite sides of the clearing, Wethm now being the one trapped in the stone walls. Torritask charged, determined to finish this fight here and now. Sword once again met sword with a metallic screech. With a growl, Wethm brought a talon down on the dragon, severely injuring his shoulder._

_ Torritask jumped back, wincing at his injured shoulder. Tears sprang to his eyes as his blood began to pool on the grassy floor. Wethm watched, chuckling. "You see Torri? You are not a warrior. Quite the opposite of one really. You failed. You failed your family, your friends, and your mate. You are the scum. You are the one who will let them all die." _

_ "No." Torritask managed to say amidst the agony. "You're wrong. A warrior is not one who wins every battle. Or kills all evil. A warrior is one who stands up for the weaker, be it a young one standing up against a bully or a nurse standing up for an elder. Each one is a warrior. But you, Wethm, you are not a warrior. You are the kind of creature that uncovers the true warrior, for you bring the darkness one must fight against. I have not failed. I will not fail. You will not kill anymore!" He finished his speech with a roar, his pupils disappearing behind a yellow sheen. _

_ Frightened, Wethm backed up against the stone walls he had created to trap others in, which now trapped him in. Electricity shattered through the air, making the demon shiver. Stormy clouds rumbled as they covered the little light the moon was giving off, shrouding the bloody battlefield in darkness. Then, from the dark, a thousand yellow bolts shot out, each striking Wethm. _

"The demon gave a beastly shriek as his life was shocked out of his body. The great demon tyrant was defeated, leaving the world to free peace." The white dragoness jumped from her position over the book, grabbing a paper sword and striking out at an invisible enemy. "Torritask fainted as the fury came to a stop, roughly landing on the grass." She recited the book from heart, as she stuck again at the enemies surrounding her. "The warrior opened his eyes to see his beloved mate, Endir standing over him, a red crystal held in her paws. When his injuries were healed, the dragon wrapped his mate up in a- Hmm..." The dragoness leaned her head over the book once more, pausing in her battle to read on. "The dragons rejoiced their new found freedom as Torritask and Endir flew back to the city. There was no more danger to fear, no more demon to obey. The world was free!"

"Eritess, is this a true story?" One of the hatchlings asked, holding her light blue paw in the air.

Eritess smiled down at her, gently placing the paper sword to the side. "Its as true as you believe it to be, Eenga."

"So we can all be warriors!" Another green hatchling roared, grabbing his own paper sword and raising it in the air.

A red hatchling, Adnon, jumped up, snatching up his sword. "No! You have to help someone first, right Eritess?"

"Not necessarily. Anybody can be a warrior, all you need is the courage and hope to face the darkest time. You don't have to be a fighter, you don't have to be strong, you just need the hope to make it through." Eritess explained, directing her gaze at the mass of hatchling, most of which were fighting with their swords.

"ERITESS!" The yell made all of the dragons stop in their tracks. The said white dragoness had a comical look of fear on her face. She twisted her head around, looking for the perfect place to hide. Her black mane ruffled from side to side as her silver eyes desperately scanned the room. Another white hatchling silently pointed at the desk. With a grateful smile, Eritess dived under it just in time to hear the door bang open. "Hello dears. Where is she?" The voice asked kindly, making Eritess frown from her position under the table.

"I dunno." The voice of Adnon could be heard. Eritess could almost imagine him shrugging.

"She's here. I heard her voice." The voice said exasperated. "If you don't tell me, I'll have to tell Ferrid not to give you cookies."

"SHES UNDER THE DESK!" A bunch of voices rang out swiftly.

Eritess jumped, whacking her head on the desk with a thud. Groaning, she clutched her head while clambering out from under. "I've been betrayed! Have mercy oh kind Mosk!" She wailed dramatically, clutching a paw to her green chest.

Mosk rolled her eyes grabbing one of Eritess's golden horns and pulled her along. The dragoness just barely managed to sweep her book off the desk and carry it with her. "Ouch! Ah! I'm being assaulted!" Eritess groaned, struggling feebly against the stronger dragoness. "See you next week, kiddies!" She said, winking at the hatchlings before continuing her groaned protests.

It was only when they had exited the nursery that Mosk had let her go. "Honestly Eritess!" The older dragoness sighed. "You were supposed to be back to work an hour ago!"

"Sorry." Eritess mumbled, walking alongside her. "Its just... the books the nursery has to read to the hatchling are so boring, so I began reading them stories from my book!" She said excitedly, holding up the battered brown book with the title 'The Book of Legends.'

"No wonder they were trying to poke each others eyes out. Ferrid would kill you if she knew." Mosk said, ruffling her brown wings. The spikes that lined the ridge of her neck flattened for a brief moment before straightening back up. Her green eyes scanned the bustling city, searching for one thing.

Eritess sighed. "The hatchlings need more fun in their lives! More adventure! I hate seeing them stuck in that building most of the time."

"Then take them on an adventure next week. You will certainly see why Ferrid doesn't." Mosk said, smiling as her eyes landed on the cafe.

"Hmph." Eritess followed her to the cafe. When she entered the back, she gently placed her book on the counter, gazing at it lovingly. The book had been the one thing Mosk had gotten with her when she found the young hatchling on her porch, wrapped up in a blanket.

"Eritess, we need more rosemary!" Mosk said, pushing the young seedling towards the white dragoness. With a roll of her eyes, Eritess gently blew on the plant. The plant quivered under her air for a minute before trembling. Then, it burst into bloom, exposing its silver flowers. "Thank you." Mosk smiled at her before taking the plant and walking back towards the kitchen.

Eritess was a plant dragon, a recently discovered element. They still did not know the full extent of their powers. With another sigh, Eritess gently draped a paw over her beloved book before walking off to do her job as a baker.  
….

"Okay I need to go to the meeting now. Please, at least clean the tables and utensils then lock up the cafe for me." Mosk was saying as she walked through the now empty cafe.

"Fine, fine. Will I get paid extra?" Eritess asked, gazing around the dirty tables.

Mosk sighed. "Eritess..." She started in a warning.

"Joking!" Eritess held her paws up in surrender.

"You better be." Mosk said. "Now as soon as you're done, go home. I'll be there as quick as I can." With that she walked out into the rain, soon disappearing into the night.

Eritess groaned as she looked around the messy place. "Its like they do this on purpose!" She grumbled, picking up a rag and starting to clean bowls and plates. It took a few hours to get everything done, but by the time she finished the place was almost sparkling.

Satisfied, Eritess grabbed her bag and book and looked out into the rain. "Okay, looks like we're running home." She said to herself. Closing the door and checking to make sure it was locked, Eritess looked apprehensively around, reluctant to leave the safety of the drape in front of the door. With a deep breath, she launched forward, squeaking as a particularly loud thunder clap echoed above her.

The rain pelted off her scales as she ran, knowing the way home by heart. She suddenly got the feeling that someone was following her. She swiftly turned her head, skidding to a stop. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a black figure jump behind a building. Fear coursed through her. She turned and began running with more vigor, occasionally seeing the black figure behind her.

_'I'm being followed!' _She mentally shrieked. _'Someone is going to kill me!' _She stopped again and turned around. She screamed in terror as the black figure just kept running towards her, not bothering to hide. Her limbs refused to move, as they were frozen in fear. It was only when the figure was right in front of her did she realize, it was huge. It had to have been at least 3 times her size. "W-w-what do you want?" She stammered, her eyes gazing up at the huge green dragon looming over her.

The dragon just stared down at her. Then a smirk crossed his face. Her limbs suddenly obeyed her commands and she went sprinting away, fear making her go faster. Her eyes landed on the stone house she called home. That sight made her feet move even swifter, she charged into the house, slamming the door shut. She stood there, limbs trembling as she leaned her whole weight against the door. "Mosk?" She gasped out, hyperventilating. "Mosk are you home?" When she received no answer, she began sobbing.

The door she was leaning against suddenly began rattling as a dragon banged on it. Shrieking, Eritess quickly locked it, then began backing away. A head appeared in the window, making Eritess scream again. The scream died in her throat as she saw the familiar face of a brown dragoness. Shaking, she unlocked the door and opened it, peeking her head out to see the soaking Mosk looking at her confused. "Why is the door locked?" She asked, pushing her way inside.

Sobbing, Eritess wrapped her up in a hug. "There was a dragon chasing me!" She wailed. "He was going to kill me!"

"Eri, are you sure?" Mosk asked, wrapping her wings around the quivering dragoness. "I didn't see any dragon on my way home, not even a sign of one."

"He was there!" Eritess sobbed. She leaned into the dragoness embrace, shaking like a leaf.

Mosk began murmuring comforting words to the dragoness, wondering just what had happened. If either dragoness had bothered to look up, they would have seen the figure of a huge dragon looking through the window.  
**….**

**AND in this story, plant dragons are NOT RARE. Not at all. They were just recently discovered though. **

**Like the new story or hate it?  
****  
Thank you for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, the couples have been chosen! Flame/OC and Spyro/Cynder. The description has been edited. :) Thank you to the two guests (Thank you for voting) and TheN7Dragon (Thank you for the lovely review and for voting!)  
I'm thinking about adding a legend story to every chapter but I dunno, I mean, it would get old after a while wouldn't it?  
….**

Eritess groaned, rubbing her eyes with a paw. Grabbing the cup on the table, she took a quick drink, relishing the refreshing water inside. Placing a paw on her beloved book, she bit her lip as she looked out the window at the slowly lightening sky. She had not slept well that night, each time she closed her eyes the vision of the green dragon towering over her came to mind. She quivered at the thought of going outside once more. Mosk watched her shudder, concern in her green eyes. "If you really need to, you can stay home today. I understand last night was a terrifying experience."

"No." Eritess quietly said, looking down at her untouched plate of meatballs. "I don't want to be alone. Besides, maybe some baking will do me good."

Mosk studied her for a minute before replying. "Alright. Just stay near me the whole day and things will go fine. Now eat, how are you supposed to be my best baker if you are starving?"

With a smile, Eritess chomped on a meatball, purring at the taste. "I think the paprika mix did wonders." She commented before taking a bite out of another meatball.

"Yea, we will definitely need to suggest it to the other cooks in the cafe." Mosk said, finishing off her last meatball. "You need to hurry, the cafe is supposed to open any minute now."

"Ehhh." Eritess took a deep breath then devoured the last 5 meatballs as quickly as she could, getting sauce all over her snout.

Mosk rolled her eyes, grabbing a napkin and gently wiping her nose off. "Fair enough. Lets go. We need to hightail it to the cafe." She began rushing out of the house, barely giving Eritess enough time to stick her book in her bag and wrap the bag around her neck.

The dragonesses rushed out, slamming the door behind them. Mosk spread her wings and lifted off into flight. Eritess was about to fly after her when a movement caught her eye. She turned to the forest surrounding her house, gasping as she saw a green shape fade away. Blinking, she gazed around the seemingly empty forest, her breaths coming out in gasps. With fear toned reflexes, she threw herself in the air, diving after Mosk.

_'I'm going insane.' _She thought, looking towards Mosk. The brown dragoness was unaware of her struggle, fixed on getting to the cafe in time. Eritess sighed, reaching a paw back and feeling her bag, relaxing when she felt that the book was still there. Biting her lip, she gazed down at the plain city she was raised in. The bustling creatures walking the streets and the finely decorated buildings. Her eyes landed on the cafe Mosk owned, one of the best in the surrounding cities. "Mosk." She murmured, flying nearer to the dragon she considered her mom. "I'm still scared."

"Recite one of your legend stories." Mosk said, giving her a comforting smile.

Eritess smiled back at her as they dived down towards the red-stoned cafe. _'Okimo the brave.' _She thought, beginning to mentally launch into the story.

_Okimo lifted his purple eyes to the darkening sky, gravely watching as the stars disappeared behind the thick billows of clouds cause by only one creature, Valdron, the giant two headed wolverine. The red dragon bared his teeth in anger as the last of the light disappeared. "This must end now." He growled to himself, listening to the hair raising shrieks of the creatures of the dark, created by Valdron. _

_ A snarl sounded from behind him, making him roll his eyes. Calmly, he turned around to come face to face with a salamander looking creature with the face of a spider. It's tail seemed to be consumed by fire, yet it never burned by it. "Ugly little bugger, aren't you?" Okimo said, casually killing it with a claw to its neck. "Get ready Valdron. No more beating around the bush." With that being said, the tips of his wings lit with his fire and he began flying, using the small flames to see where he was going. _

"Hey!" She was broken out of her trance by an agitated red dragon waving his paw across her face. "You completely ruined the cake batter!" He spoke in a thick Italian accent as he pointed at the gooey mess in the bowl she had been dumping ingredients in. She realized with a sigh that she had accidentally put in pepper in the cinnamon cake mix. She looked back up at Mosk's most trusted cook.

"I'm sorry, Tyem." She apologized with a sheepish smile. "I'm just not in it today."

Tyem kindly smiled at her, waving the apology off with a paw. "No biggie. We can start over. Although I suggest you go do something else for the day, like running a cashier. From what I hear, we are very busy today, can't afford any more screw ups."

"Okay. Thank you." Eritess gave him a hug before dazedly getting back on all four paws and walking away. The story continued as she sat down at a cashier seat, smiling at the other cashier, a pretty blue dragoness named Hixen.

_"Valdron!" Okimo roared, his eyes glinting angrily in the faint golden lantern glow. He cautiously walked further in the seemingly empty cave, his wingtips still faintly lit by the flames he had created. He began to feel apprehension as he gazed around the eerie location, listening to the faint sound of dropping water from the cave ceiling. _

_ "You came." The voice he had been expecting rumbled around, sounding deep and scratchy. Okimo slowly turned to see the beast that seemed to come from the darkest of nightmares, Valdron, sneaking out from the shadows, his two heads turned on the fearless warrior. His long pearly claws reflected the slight light the lantern gave off. With a flick of his abnormally large tail, he tapped the lantern, forcing it to give off a brighter shine. _

_ Okimo glared up at the colossal creature, the flame on his wings growing bigger with his anger. Both of Valdron's heads smirked at the dragon. "You think you can defeat me." His heads spoke in a deep chuckle. "Don't be silly. As we speak, my creatures of the night roam the darkened earth, leaving fear and misery in their wake." _

_ "That's exactly why I'm here." Okimo snarled, taking a step towards the creature. "You've ruined enough lives." _

_ Valdron's laughed echoed around the cave, sending shivers down the cave bat's spine. When the laughter ceased, Valdron turned his heads back on the angered dragon. "You don't get it." He rumbled. "You cannot defeat me as long as fear reigns over the minds of the weaker." Dark red clouds suddenly surrounded Okimo, shrouding him in darkness for a few moments before exposing the creature of their depths. A huge spider stepped out into the lantern's glow. It had fangs the size of a barn owl's wing. It's countless eyes locked on Okimo and it took a step forward, sharp spines starting to stick up out of its legs._

_ Okimo's eyes widened as the bizarre creature began to stalk towards him, its legs now completely consumed by the countless of sharp needles, each sticking up ready to kill. He opened his maw and blew a wave of fire at it, gasping as it had no affect on the creature. With a beastly shriek, the spider launched itself at the shocked dragon, careening a leg into his side, the spikes digging into his flesh. _

_ With a cry of anguish, Okimo dragged a claw down one of its fangs,it's blood splattering on his paw. The spider jumped back with a hiss, releasing its spikes from Okimo's side. He groaned as the burning agony spread through his veins. Valdron's laughter once again echoed through the cave. "You cannot win Okimo. Run while you can." _

_ The injured dragon looked up to see the spider once again creeping towards him. For the first time in his life, the dragon felt fear course through his body, making his limbs freeze. He could only watch as the spider sent another leg towards him, this time making contact with his neck. With another cry, the dragon went flying across the cave, slamming into the wall. He watched the spider lift a leg up in the air, prepared to end his life. _

_ Okimo closed his eyes, waiting for the finishing blow. A screech rang from outside the cave, making him wince. 'What about all the others?' He wondered as time seemed to slow. 'They will all get killed, the young will grow in a life of fear, the old will die in a state of misery.' New determination flooded through him as he opened his eyes, turning up to see the spider starting to strike down at him. Hus gaze soon found a part of the spider's abdomen that looked weak. It was not covered in the fine fur that was spread across the arachnid's body. Okimo's eyes narrowed at the sight. With a heave of strength, he pushed his hind legs against the cave wall, shoving himself under the spider, just managing to avoid the finishing strike. He dragged his claw along the bare part of the spider's abdomen, feeling his claw cut into the flesh. He sprang out from under the spider, avoiding it's flailing limbs. The spider shrieked, its silver blood pooling on the floor. With one last scream, it fell, its legs twitching in death. _

_ Valdron snarled, swiping at the dragon with a claw. Okimo neatly dodged it, springing forward to headbutt the monster in the chest. Valdron gave a coughing scream as his neck was bruised. Okimo-_

"Eritess?"

The dragoness felt like screaming. "What?" She snapped, forcing herself out of her daydream.

"There's been a customer there for like 5 minutes." Hixen softly murmured, pointing at an impatient satyr.

"Oh, I apologize." Eritess said, diving into her cashier act. She forced thoughts of Okimo to the back of her mind as she looked up at the satyr. "What would you like, sir?"

The satyr cleared his throat. "I would love a package of 12 strawberry pudding cups, no whipped cream." He said.

"Of course. Please wait a few moments." Eritess said politely, she turned her head around and with a deep breath, began to yell. "ONE PACKAGE, TWELVE STRAWBERRY PUDDING CUPS, NO WHIPPED CREAM ON ANY OF THEM, NUMBER 72! Please wait in the pickup line, sir." She turned her head back at the satyr, who nodded and grabbed a piece of paper with a number on it and walked off to the pickup line.

_Okimo focused his gaze on a crack in the wall, that ran up through the ceiling and further back into the cave. It was that moment, he knew what he would have to do. He bent his head down and charged, banging his head on the crack as hard as he could. Shaking his head at the pain, he backed up and did it once more, hearing the loud crack of stones falling. "NO!" Valdron roared, running towards the entrance. _

_ "NOT THIS TIME!" Okimo roared, flinging himself at the creature and forcing him to the ground. _

_ "You'll die too!" Valdron tried to reason, struggling to head towards the entrance again. _

_ Fear once again found its way into him, making Okimo hesitate. He shook his head, forcing the fear to the back of his mind. Instead, he leaned his head down next to Valdron's ear. "Then I'll die saving the world from you." He murmured, smirking as the ceiling began to collapse on them. He gave a yell of triumph as the cave fell on them, encasing the monster who threatened the world with the body of the warrior who faced his first fear and died a hero._

Eritess sadly smiled as the story ended. She adjusted the bag around her neck and looked up to see a huge line in front of her. She turned to see Hixen gone. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She stammered, sitting up to come face to face with an angry yeti. "What would you like?"

The yeti sniffed before replying. "1 pound package of peanut brittle please." He said haughtily before walking off to the pickup line, snatching his number and giving her another dirty look.

_'I guess I deserved that.' _Eritess turned her head around towards the kitchen. "ONE POUND OF PEANUT BRITTLE, NUMBER 87! What would you like?" She asked, turning back to a petite gemcutter mouse. "What would you like?"

The mouse tipped her head back to look up at Eritess. _'And I thought I was short...' _Eritess thought, waiting for the mouse's reply. "Can I have 3 chocolate truffles with chopped toffee sprinkled on top, please?" The mouse asked, nervously shuffling her feet.

Eritess gave her a comforting smile. ""Of course you can." She grabbed a number and handed it to the mouse. "Please go up to the pickup line. THREE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES SPRINKLED WITH CHOPPED TOFFEE, NUMBER 89!" That was how the majority of the rest of the line with with Eritess, a few complaining to her about how long she took. Hixen had not returned, leaving Eritess to wonder what had happened.

"What would you like?" Eritess asked, scanning her eyes over the written complaint someone had made for her.

"2 custard tarts please." A feminine voice said, making Eritess look up from her reading. In front of her was a tall mouse, dressed in explorer attire.

"Sure." Eritess said, looking at her in puzzlement. "Please take a number. TWO CUSTARD TARTS, NUMBER 103!" She smiled when she saw there were no other creatures in line. Mosk walked out as soon as the mouse had left with her food and turned the sign on the door to closed.

"Hey Mosk, Where did Hixen go?" Eritess asked, taking out the roll of numbers and replacing it with a new one.

Mosk turned to her with a confused look on her face. "She didn't return to help? She said she was going to grab something to eat at the deli then come straight back."

"She never returned." Eritess said, concern seeping into her voice. "Maybe we should go look for her."

"I can't." Mosk groaned. "I have another meeting tonight with a yeti who wants to arrange for us to cater at his sister's wedding."

"Can anyone go with me?" Eritess asked quietly, reluctant to step out without the comfort of a friend.

Mosk shook her head. "Everything in the back is cleaned up, I sent everyone home as soon as the mouse's order was finished."

Eritess fidgeting, looking outside. _'This will be like an adventure! You could be like Okimo, skipping the dying part of course.' _"I'll go look." Eritess murmured. "I need to make sure Hixen is okay."

"Are you sure?" Mosk asked, beginning to step out of the door. "I can run you home really quick if you would prefer."

"Mosk, I need to make sure the dragon didn't get Hixen." Eritess said, trembling at the thought of the dragon.

Mosk bit her lip, looking between the door and Eritess. She sighed. "Let me write a note out really quick, I'm going to cancel the appointment."

"You don't have to-"

"The safety of my employees is way more important than a meeting." Mosk cut her off, grabbing a pencil and paper and writing. When she was finished, she taped the note to the door. "Lets go." She said, leading Eritess out.  
**….  
The overall chapter was quite boring but important nonetheless! And yes, Eritess is quite ditzy at times.  
Okay, the mouse in the explorer outfit was Tara from... I think Year of the Dragon. :/ Please correct me if I'm wrong.  
Satyrs and Gemcutters are from Ripto's Rage or Gateway to Glimmer.  
Yeti's are from Year of the Dragon and Ripto's Rage. XD  
****  
Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Whew, I've was working extra hard on this chapter; trying to get all the details while at the same time not rushing everything. That's one of the things I'm always afraid of doing is rushing the story.  
I did not expect so many reviews XD It was pretty awesome to open my email and see all those notifications.**

Picture of Eritess on DA link posted on profile!

Review time! :D  
TheN7Dragon- I love both the classical and the legend series so what's better than combining them! :D Thank you for the review!

SilverDragon2891- Thank you! I'll think about that idea, but I dunno. :)  
I'm trying to not rush the story while at the same time bringing the adventure in. Its harder than I originally thought it would be.  
Okay, Have a good time in Tennessee! :D

Riverstyxx- I also love mythology and legends, it's one of the few bits I like in History class. I agree, while legends are fun to write, they would get really old after a while.  
I wanted the pairings to be chosen quickly so I could start working out the first meeting, so that's why I asked for votes the first chapter  
The white hatchling mentioned in the first chapter was also supposed to be a plant dragon. I probably should have made it clearer, my bad. :)  
Thank you so much!  
….

_'Okay. This is an adventure. Yea, an adventure.' _Eritess was telling herself as she walked beside Mosk towards the cottage Hixen lived in. Her heart dropped as she could see the lights were off. "It doesn't look like she's home." Eritess groaned.

Mosk knocked on the door, frowning when no one answered it. "We need to get the police. Hixen has gone missing."

"What if the dragon got her?" Eritess whispered, looking around the darkening yard in fear.

"We must think positive, Eritess. Negative thoughts will cloud our rational minds." Mosk stated calmly, turning her back on the door and walking forward. "The important thing now is to find Hixen and get her back safely, not wonder what has happened to her."

Eritess walked beside her, biting her lip in worry. "I have a bad feeling that whatever has happened to Hixen, its not good." She said, spreading her wings and lifting off into flight.

"We will try our hardest to recover her." Mosk tried to give her a comforting smile, although her own eyes were darkened with worry.

"Maybe our hardest isn't good enough though." Eritess murmured, gazing down at her reflection in the lake they were flying over. The dragoness staring back at her reflected the fear in her eyes. Eritess hovered above the water, staring sadly at herself. A flash caught the corner of her eye, making her slightly turn her head. The golden clad corner of her book was sticking out of her bag, reflecting the last bit of sunlight left. Sighing, Eritess looked back up, gasping when Mosk was no where to be seen.

Frantically, she swung her head around, hyperventilating when the brown dragoness was nowhere to be seen. "Mosk?" She called out. "MOSK!" Her body trembled when no reply was heard. She turned her gaze to the sunset, despair flooding through her. _'Is the sunset more red than usual?' _She wondered, shuddering as she realized the clouds looked like blood. "MOSK!" She yelled, heading towards the city.

Every growing shadow seemed to pop out at her, making her shy away from her course several times. After what seemed life hours of flying, the city came into view. "MOSK!" She cried once more, scanning the area with desperate, jerky movements.

"Eritess!" Someone wailed. Her heart plummeted when she realized it was not Mosk.

"Adnon?" Eritess asked, her gaze locking on the red dragon. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the nursery?" She landed beside the frightened hatchling.

"I wanted to be a warrior like Torritask! So when Ferrid was distracted I snuck out." The hatchling sniffed. "But then I got lost!"

"Oh Adnon." Eritess sighed. "You shouldn't have come out. You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Adnon looked down at his feet in shame. "I just wanted to be like Torritask."

"Torritask was an adult when he did all those things! He wasn't a young hatchling!" Eritess said. She cast a glance behind her shoulder, biting her lip with fear. "We need to get you home." She said, gently sweeping the hatchling up in her jaws before sprinting towards the nursery. She only got a few feet when a huge boulder suddenly blocked her path, forcing her to skid to a stop. The boulder suddenly burst, showering her with sharp shards.

Eritess backed away, trembling. Just as she suspected, the huge green dragon stepped out from the shadow of a nearby building, the smirk she had seen the first night on his face. "Don't run Eritess, you will only make it worse for both you and the hatchling." He said, taking a step forward.

Adnon was quivering in her grip, making unintelligible noises as the dragon stepped closer. Eritess felt frozen, her eyes locked with the red eyes of the dragon. _'What would a warrior do?' _The question popped into the back of her mind. She knew that answer like the back of her paw. Unfortunately, she was much too scared to go with that option so instead she unlocked her limbs and pelted away, her legs a blur underneath her.

Several other boulders popped in front of her, forcing her to narrowly dodge each one. She could hear the green dragon running after her, his heavy footsteps causing the earth to rumble underneath her feet. She sprang into the forest, the foliage parting for her then created a barrier between her and the dragon. The green dragon just pushed right though it, not slowing down at all.

A crack suddenly appeared in the earth, catching Eritess's paw, making her fall to the ground with an anguished screech. Adnon went sprawling out of her grip, landing a foot away from her. He sprang back up on his feet and ran towards her, cowering behind her as the dragon stopped in front of them.

Eritess groaned as the agony from her shattered paw spread through her leg. She looked up at the dragon with a pained expression. Slowly, she draped a protective wing over Adnon, hiding him from view. "What do you want with me?" She managed to gasp out, her eyes tearing up at the pain.

The green dragon leaned his head down next to hers, a menacing grin on his face. "The Alotui calls." He said before lifting his head and making a deep guttural sound that quietly faded into the breeze. Immediately, several strange looking creatures stepped out from the forest. They appeared to be some sort of furry greyhound werewolves, their sharp canine fangs protruding from their jaws. They turned pupil-less eyes on Eritess. She could hear Adnon whimper and felt him lean deeper into her side. "Take her and the hatchling back to the realm. Heal her injuries then stick them in a cage. Let her keep the useless book but take the bag away." He began ordering. "Send Warpbrood to guard them."

The greyhounds began to do as told, a russet one walking up to her with a chain in his hands. Eritess leaned her head out of his grip and grabbed Adnon in her jaws. Then she was still as the chain was wrapped around her neck. The green dragon sneered at her. "They told me you were a wimp, but I didn't think it was to such a degree."

Ignoring the jibe, Eritess awkwardly stood up on three feet, holding her injured paw in the air. Tears still fell to the ground at the pain shooting through her leg. At a rough tug on the chain, she limped forward, wondering what exactly was going to happen to her.

The werewolves led her though the forest, occasionally howling a song together. The songs were usually eerie, subjected on the spilling of blood and the taking of lives. She heard Adnon sobbing in her clutches but was unable to comfort him. Not that she would have been much help considering she wanted to cry herself.

_'Can things get much worse?'_ She thought, her eyes watering once more. Tears fell down her pearly white cheeks, landing on the ground below. The werewolves stopped her at a strange looking pond. A silver werewolf jumped in the pond, fading below the murky water. Only bubbles remained where he had been. One by one they jumped in, each meeting the same fate. The werewolf holding her chain pushed her in before jumping right after her.

The feeling of cold emptiness surrounded her, cooling her very bones. She opened her eyes just a peek to see the water warping itself, gradually turning darker. Many scenes appeared in the water, one being the green dragon bowing to a dark figure on a blood decorated throne. The water suddenly disappeared, giving way to a dark plain.

It was almost pitch black, the only source of light being the red half moon above. There was a circle made up of glowing stones, shining through the darkness. In the center of these stones stood a huge black castle, its exquisite garden illuminated by the soft white glow cast from the stones. Several windows along the walls were lit up, intricate decorations in each of the rooms.

A tug on the chain brought her back to reality. She began limping forward again, apprehension building up as they neared the castle. Adnon whimpered as a werewolf stuck his head close to the hatchling, staring hungrily at him. Eritess leaned her head away from the werewolf trying to put herself between him and Adnon. The werewolf laughed as he leaned away, letting Eritess straighten out her neck.

The garden was even more beautiful on the inside. There were countless different types of flowers, each giving off a sweet scent. There was one old willow tree off to the corner, surrounded by a shallow pond. As soon as the group set foot in the garden countless werewolves came to investigate, some leaning out the windows, others rushing into the garden.

Eritess shrank under all the leering gazes. It was then she learned just how awful it was to be trapped with no way out. She just wanted to run. Run and only stop when she just couldn't take it anymore. But somewhere in her thoughts of turmoil, a rational voice spoke. "_You couldn't get away safely. The only way would be to fly and you would have to fly forever, for you don't know where you are, or how to get out." _She felt a sense of comfort as she heard the voice speaking, the tone calm and reassuring. _"Be kind, a ally can sometimes be found in the coldest of foes." _

The werewolves led her through the castle. She stared up and the many colored drapes hanging on the walls. There was a huge decorated tapestry in the middle of fine red drapes. The tapestry was expertly woven to show a golden werewolf sitting on a bejewel throne. The wolf wore no crowns or capes, but a simple tooth necklace, each tooth having a different gem encased in it.

She was pulled into a loosely decorated room, only one painting on the walls and a single window on the ceiling. In a corner of the room, there was a hanging cage, it was actually quite large. Eritess was shoved into the cage and before she could react, the door was slammed and locked. Another red werewolf was ushered into the room, he wasted no time in voicing his complaints. "Why am I always the one stuck on guard duty? Why can't anyone else watch the dragons?"

"Shut up." An older gray werewolf growled. "Montur ordered that you guard. You should be grateful, this is your chance to redeem your status."

The werewolf, who Eritess assumed to be Warpbrood, sighed. "Fine, fine. Give me the darn crystal and get out." The red crystal was quickly handed to him and the werewolves walked out, leaving him alone with the dragons.

Eritess gently placed Adnon on the floor of the swinging cage, struggling to stay on her feet. Warpbrood gave another sigh as he directed a glare at the dragons with his hazel eyes. Grumbling to himself, he crawled under the cage, out of sight. In a matter of seconds, the cage stopped its swinging, allowing the dragons inside to gain their balance. Warpbrood climbed out from under the cage, wiping dust off his fur. Then he placed the red crystal inside the cage, allowing Eritess access to it. She placed her uninjured paw on it, instantly feeling new energy swarm through her. Remembering the voice's earlier advice, she looked up at the werewolf. "Thank you." She murmured.

"Just shut up." The werewolf spat, rummaging through her bag. He pulled out her book and placed it inside the cage, still growling to his self. Eritess took the chance to explore the cage. It was just big enough for her to take a step either way from the middle. She had to keep her wings folded though. Eritess pulled both the book and Adnon nearer to her, wanted them to be as close as possible.

Adnon cowered between her paws, quietly sobbing. "What's gonna happen to us, Eri?" He whimpered.

"I'm not sure." Eritess said, her own fear blossoming in her chest. "But I'm here, I won't let them hurt you." She said with as much strength as she could manage.

"But I'm scared." Adnon wailed, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks once more.

"Don't be." Eritess was surprised to hear Warpbrood speak from his position over her bag. Adnon looked towards the werewolf curiously. "Rinturc wants you alive. He wasn't planning on the hatchling coming, but I'm sure he will just find another use for him."

"Who are Rinturc and Montur?" Eritess barely dared to ask but the curiosity was overwhelming.

Warpbrood was quiet for a few moments before he replied. "Montur was the green dragon that captured you." He answered.

"What about Rinturc?" Eritess asked.

"Just shut up!" Warpbrood snarled, making her wince. "Don't forget that you were stupid enough to get yourself captured! You are now a prisoner! Don't overstep your bounds or I will give you a severe punishment!" With that being said, he turned around and began to set up a cot in the opposite corner of the room.

Eritess looked down, deflated. She gently nudged Adnon, who had begun quivering again. "Why don't you try to sleep." She murmured. "I'll keep you safe through the night."

Adnon whimpered, curling up closer to her. Eritess wrapped her wing over him, laying her head down next to him. She began quietly humming a lullaby to him. Her voice wasn't terrific, but it wasn't too bad either. Her humming slowly lulled the little hatchling to sleep, making his eyes droop closed. The humming was cut short as she herself, fell into an uneasy sleep.  
**….**

**I'm really hoping everything was described well enough. :/  
I actually had a dream with the world I put the werewolves in, so I thought it would be perfect for the story :)  
Oh! And the werewolves are nothing like the werewolves in the Twilight books. Cause I don't like Twilight. You guys can like it if you want, but I don't.  
**

**Thank you for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter didn't take as long as I figured it would.  
By the way, I may not be able to write much over the 4****th**** of July because I have a BUNCH of family coming to stay at my house and basically I'm getting kicked out of my room. DX  
….**  
The loud clanging of something rattling against the bars made Eritess opened her eyes. She blinked at the sight of a bowl being shoved in her face. Yawning, she lifted her head up to see Warpbrood closing the gate again. Curious, she looked into the bowl to see several cooked chucks of meat. Sniffing, she determined the meat was a fish. She smiled gratefully at Warpbrood, ignoring the hostile glare he sent her.

She lifted her wing up, smiling at the sight of Adnon peacefully curled up near her side. Gently, she nudged him with her snout. He swatted her snout away with a paw, muttering something she couldn't understand. The small black spikes on his head and neck ruffled as he shifted his position to hide his head in her side. "Come on Adnon. Its time to eat." She murmured, nudging him again.

He sleepily lifted his head up, his brown eyes squinted against the faint light streaming through the window on the ceiling. His snout was instantly turned to the bowl full of fish, a look of hunger on his face. Eritess smiled, reaching into the bowl and pulling out a small morsel with her claws. She handed it to Adnon, who instantly pounced on it, swallowing the whole thing in one bite. He clambered up to the bowl and grabbed another chunk, his face spread into a satisfied smile.

"Don't forget to eat something, dragon." Warpbrood muttered, eating his own bowl of fish. "That's all you're getting until supper."

Eritess smiled as she took a bite out of the fish. Maybe there was hope for this situation yet. After she ate a few chunks, she let Adnon finish the meal. Then she looked back up at Warpbrood, nervousness welling up. "Um... Excuse me, Warpbrood?" She said quietly.

Warpbrood growled in irritation. "What do you want?" He snapped.

"What exactly does Montur want with me? And who are the Alotui?" She hesitantly asked, not wanting to set his anger off.

The red hued werewolf looked up, his eyes studying her for a minute. Finally, he sighed. "I guess you deserve to know. The Alotui are a clan of monsters, formed from the souls of creatures who died in a cruel rage. They could look like anything, depending on what creature their soul had resided in, but they all have one thing in common. They each have a black mist that surrounds them. Era's ago, the clan was banished to the underworld pits by a warrior and trapped in by the warrior's soul. He vowed to protect it for all eternity. Bet that story didn't make it in your legend book."

Shaking her head, Eritess looked down at her book. "No it didn't. I've never even heard of it before."

"That's because the warrior who died defeating them was a werewolf." Warpbrood said, looking out the ceiling window from his cot. "Rinturc and Montur wants to bring the Alotui back and he needs you to do that. It was foretold that the warrior's soul would be sent away with the corrupted blood of an elemental and that the roots of their tears would drag the warrior's soul down, releasing the monsters from their prison."

"Why would you release a group of monsters that one of your ancestors died capturing?" Eritess asked, lifting her wing to allow Adnon closer to her.

Warpbrood jumped up, anger flashing in his eyes. For a second, Eritess thought she had gone too far and shrank back against the cage bars, pulling Adnon with her. But then, Warpbrood let out a humorless chuckle. "What choice do we have? We've been banished to this realm with no light and barely any food! Just because a couple of werewolves joined the dark forces. Only a dragon's magic can completely free us from this prison and Rinturc was the only one who would do it. He promised us that if we did this, he would release us!" He angrily kicked the wall. "The majority of us don't want to do this. We just want to live normal lives! But we can't stay here. The darkness... we can feel it slowly consuming us." The werewolf plopped down on his cot, his ears drooping.

Eritess bit her lip, not knowing what to say. Before she could devise any coherent sentence, Adnon spoke up. "Some meanies trapped you here?" He asked, looking at him in confusion.

"Yes. Some mean bullies trapped us here." Warpbrood confirmed, a small smile on his face as he looked at the hatchling.

"I could go beat them up!" Adnon declared, pulling himself up on his feet. "Then I could let you guys out!"

"I'll have to decline you the chance, little one." Warpbrood said, the smile still on his lips. "As terrified as they would be, you could get injured as they run away."

Eritess turned her gaze to the window as well, looking out at the red moon hanging above. "So in order for you guys to be released; I'm going to have to be corrupted and they will use my blood and my tears to release the monsters?" She asked, dread weighing deep in her chest.

Warpbrood only nodded. It felt like an anchor was dropped on her shoulders. "When will they start this process?" She asked, her eyes beginning to water.

"As soon as the dreadwings arrive with the dark crystals." Warpbrood murmured. He covered his face in his paws.

"And what about Adnon?" Eritess asked quietly, tears starting to fall.

"I don't know about him. He will probably be corrupted as well." Warpbrood said within his paws.

"Eri, what's corrupted?" Adnon asked from under her wing.

Eritess didn't have any words. She just looked at the little hatchling, who gazed up at her curiously. She couldn't take it anymore, she burst into sobs. "Why are you crying?" Adnon asked, jumping up where he could reach her face. "Don't cry!" He said, gazing into her silver eyes with his brown ones. "Please don't cry!"

But she couldn't quit. The tears forced themselves down her cheeks and the sobs racked her body. "I'm sorry for bringing you into this Adnon." She gasped out. "I'm so sorry!"

In desperation, Adnon grabbed her book and flipped it open, reading the first page he saw. "A warrior is not one who fights or kills evil beings. A warrior is one who puts others before himself and stands up when they cannot. A true warrior is one who keeps hope alive in the dark. For hope if what lights the moon and sun and keeps the balance between good and evil."

Warpbrood's head had popped up when the hatchling had started reading. His eyes grew thoughtful as the young one read on. Eritess thought she could see the faintest flash of hope in his eyes. She smiled as the passage was finished and gently nuzzled Adnon, wiping her tears away with a paw. "That was a lovely part to read Adnon." She murmured. "Thank you."

"I just don't like to see you cry." Adnon said, gazing up at her. "Promise me you won't cry again."

"I promise." Eritess said, a her smile now turned into a ghost of one. She gravely looked up at the red moon again. "As long as you promise me something."

"What?" Adnon asked, clambering up on her back, snuggling into her mane.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you will remember what you just read. And you will be reminded what a real warrior is." Eritess said, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall once more.

Adnon was silent, making Eritess wonder what happened. She turned her head to the side to see him staring at her, a serious look on his face. "I promise." He said, looking her straight in the eyes. And Eritess knew at that moment, she could believe him.

The cage suddenly rattled as it was pulled open. Eritess looked at Warpbrood questioningly as he wrapped the chain around her neck. Carefully, she clambered out of the cage, a little stiff from lying in the same position so long. Warpbrood leaned in the cage and grabbed her book, sticking it under his arm. She checked to make sure Adnon was still on her back before walking forward with Warpbrood. "Where are you taking us?" She asked.

"Shut up!" Warpbrood snarled as he opened the door. He roughly pulled her along the passageway.

Confused and startled, Eritess stumbled along, barely managing to keep her footing at the fast pace Warpbrood was pulling her at. "Serit!" He called to a brown werewolf. "Go get a dreadwing and get it ready along with a transportation pod. NOW!"

Serit nodded, as puzzled as Eritess was and ran off. Warpbrood cast suspicious glances around the empty hallway before pulling Eritess along again, with more vigor than before. She could feel the chain rubbing a sore spot into her scales.

Warpbrood tugged her outside, snarling insults at her whenever other werewolves were around. She blinked at the sight of a ferocious looking dreadwing standing there, a metal thing laying behind it. The dreadwing was a black color, its wing membranes were pink, and the mane on its back was light blue. It looked at her with even lighter blue eyes and she was surprised to see how comforting they looked. Serit was standing in front of the dreadwing, watching Warpbrood curiously.

The red werewolf nodded in approval. "Nice choice." He commented, leading Eritess up to the metal box. He unwrapped the chain around her neck, throwing it to the side. Eritess leaned her head around and picked up Adnon in her jaws, unsure of what was going to happen. Warpbrood wrapped his hand around a handle on the metal box and pulled. A door that had camouflaged in the side slowly swung open, revealing the empty room inside. Warpbrood silently walked into the room, setting her book gently down on the floor.

Eritess slowly walked in after him, gazing curiously at everything. She set Adnon down beside her book, then turned towards Warpbrood, tilting her head in confusion. He sighed before answering. "The dreadwing will take you to where he thinks you'll be safe. Then he will drop the pod."

"What about you?" Eritess asked. "What's going to happen to you?"

Warpbrood smiled at her. "Its nothing for you to worry about. Just stay safe."

"Thank you." Eritess said. "You didn't have to do anything for us and yet you did. I will always be grateful to you for that."

Adnon hopped over and wrapped his arms around Warpbrood's leg in a hug. "I'll be sure to beat up those bullies for you!" He said, his voice muffled by fur.

"I'll be looking forward to the show." Warpbrood laughed. He gently pulled Adnon off his leg and put him on Eritess's back. He reached into a pocket on the vest he was wearing and pulled out a couple of the glowing stones from the garden. He placed those next to the book as well. Then he walked out of the pod. Eritess sadly watched as he began to close the door. "Eritess?" He spoke before completely closing the door.

"Yes?"

Warpbrood looked at her with watering hazel eyes. "Please." He softly said. "Please, when you can, free my family from this prison."

Eritess fixed him a sad smile. "I promise." She said, her voice threatening to crack. Warpbrood returned her smile before completely closing the door. The door glowed silver for a few moments before completely disappearing. The only source of light left was the stones Warpbrood left behind. Eritess sadly looked over at them, as much as she hated to believe it, part of her knew that she would never see Warpbrood again.

She pulled Adnon close, as the pod began moving. The pod violently shook for a few moments before finally settling down to a soft swaying. Eritess began humming to fill in the silence, wishing the ache in her chest would fade. "Where are we going?" Adnon quietly asked, interrupting her humming.

"Somewhere we will be safe." Eritess answered before starting to hum again.  
**….**

**The dreadwing was from Legend of Spyro- A New Beginning. It was one of the ones in Cynder's place (can't recall the name)**

There isn't really much else to say for this chapter...

**Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Whew, Sorry for the long wait. I put more effort in this chapter than I usually do. I'm trying harder to write better, I guess we will see if it works.  
….**

"Eritess, I'm bored." Adnon sighed, throwing a glowing stone in the air then catching it.

Eritess lifted her head off of her paws, eyes drooping with sleepiness. She didn't know how long they had been in that pod but it felt like hours. She looked around the empty pod, her eyes finally landing on her book. Gently, she pulled it in front of her, caressing the golden clad cover. Sighing at the familiar comfort the book always bought her, she opened the cover, flipping to a certain page. "How about I read you the story of Achath the Determined."

Adnon jumped up, clambering over to where she laid down to read with her. She began the tale, her voice loosing its quiet touch and gaining a stronger tone. "In the ancient realm of dragons, long before any other element but fire was discovered-"

_There lived a selfish king. The king, Burol, always thought about himself before his subjects, claiming that since he was royalty, he was irreplaceable. He constantly made decisions for his own welfare, making life as an ordinary dragon tough. _

_ One of Burol's servants could see what the king was doing. She knew first hand just how unfair the king was, for he would beat his servants if something wasn't to his liking. The servant's golden eyes hardened as __she__ watched a guard beat a young servant. "Get moving!" A guard behind her growled. _

_The blue servant turned to the guard, her face twisted into a smirk. "The one who casts the first stone of violence, will be the last to see the flower of mercy at the hands of the victims." She spoke. _

_ The guard sniffed, pushing the servant down the hall. "Just get moving!" He spat, his maw open to shoot fire. _

_ The elementless servant grinned. "Achath's flower has wilted for you, my dear friend." With that, she walked off, as soon as she was out of sight, she jumped behind a statue, awaiting the guard to walk by once more. She tensed when he came into sight, dragging a skinny servant behind him. _

_ Growling, the servant looked around the halls, her eyes landing on a loose chunk in the dragon's armor. She tugged it off, just barely managing it with her weak frame. Then she jumped out from behind the statue, bringing the piece of armor up and crashing it down on the guard's head, knocking him out cold. She winced as jolts of pain went up her arm and the impact. She turned to the shocked servant. "Get the others and get out of the castle. No longer shall we thrive under the feet of the mighty." _

_ "Orryn,what do you plan to do?" The servant asked, his eyes fixed on the unconscious guard. _

_ "I'm going to release Achath." Orryn said quietly, her eyes lit up with determination. _

_ The servant's eyes widened. "Achath? He's the most guarded prisoner in there!" _

_ "I know." Orryn said, walking up to the armor and grasping the sword in her teeth, she tugged it out with a loud clang. "But he is also one of the only ones who will fight against Burol." She said, her words slurred by the sword she held. _

_ "But-" The servant looked as if he were going to protest again._

_ "Please, Rillor! You need to get the servants out of here! Lets see that fat hog function correctly without his obedient servants rebelling." Orryn cut him off, frustration in her voice. _

_ Rillor sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll get the others out. Meet us at the haunted island with Achath as quickly as possible." _

_ Orryn smiled at him. "Sure thing. Thank you Rillor." With that being said, she turned and ran towards the door the now unconscious guard had been standing in front of. _

Eritess was pulled out of her reading when the pod began to violently sway. "ERITESS!" Adnon shrieked when the pod gave another turn and he began to slid away from her.

Fighting for her footing, Eritess just barely managed to slid him back to her with a wing. She wrapped her paws around him, clutching him close. Then, she handed him the book, which he clutched with all his might. Stumbling several times, Eritess managed to make her way to where the door had been. She growled in frustration when only solid metal met her claws.

Fear began to consume her thoughts as the pod proceeded to knock her off her feet. _'Are we going to die?' _She wondered, holding Adnon even closer. Just as the terror began to overwhelm her, the pod crashed to a stop, its sides exploding from the impact. Eritess was sent head over tail across the ground, Adnon slipping from her grip. She immediately pushed herself up, gazing frantically around the smoke for Adnon. She found him lying a few steps from her, her book still clutched in his paws.

THUNK!

A piece of metal shot out of the mist, slamming into Eritess's head. "Ow." She clasped a paw to her head when the expected anguish-filled headache came on. The dragoness tried to shake the pain off, squeezing her eyes shut.

She made her way over to Adnon, nuzzling him comfortingly as the smoke began to clear. She squinted her eyes as she could barely make out three figures in the mist. They seemed to see her as well, for a silver fire ball shot from one of the figures. Gasping, Eritess ducked her head down, being able to feel the heat of the ball as it shot over her.

A breeze suddenly wove through the smoke, pushing it away. Eritess could just make out a red figure, a black figure, a purple figure, and a yellow glow above them. Again, a silver ball shot out, making her squeak with terror as she dodged it. "Wait a second Flame." A voice spoke.

Eritess crouched close to the ground over Adnon, shrinking herself up as much as she could. A particularly strong blast of wind sent the rest of the smoke away, giving her a clear view of the three dragons, each in an aggressive pose. She gasped, her eyes widened at the three figures. Then, she swept both Adnon and the book up in her jaws and fled, her earlier pain forgotten. "Hey wait!" A feminine voice called out.

But waiting was the last thing on Eritess's mind as she sprinted away. Without thinking, she clambered up a tree, its leaves and branched thickening around her, providing a type of shield. She gently put Adnon down on the branch, wrapping her wings protectively around him. It was there she stayed, panting for breath and trembling. _'I thought the dreadwing was supposed to drop us where we were safe! And not actually drop us!'_

"Where did she go?" She heard the feminine voice ask. She grasped the branch tighter, leaning her head down on Adnon.

After that there was just silence. Eritess waited for a minute before determining they had left. Slowly, she peeked her head out of the thick cover of leaves. She squeaked in surprise at the sight of three dragons and a dragon fly looking up at her curiously. She immediately thrust her head back in, the leaves growing even thicker.

"Sparx, you go up there!" A voice could be heard quietly whispering.

"Why me?" A new voice whispered back. That started a bunch of quiet bickering, other voices joining in. "FINE!" The voice yelled at a whisper. A few seconds later, the leaves parted, letting a golden figure fly through. Eritess shrank away, holding Adnon close. The dragonfly rolled his eyes. "Really? You're scared of a dragonfly?"

Eritess didn't bother replying, instead turning her eyes down till they reached the book. _'How would a warrior react?' _She wondered. Knowing she wasn't near brave enough to choose that option, she looked back up at the dragonfly. "What do you guys want?" She asked quietly.

"I don't want anything. But my friends down there wish to talk to you, without you running off." Sparx said, crossing his arms.

"They won't... hurt me or Adnon?" Eritess asked, still crouched protectively over the said hatchling.

Sparx sighed. "That's why I said talk! I didn't say they were going to attack you."

Eritess bit her lip, glancing at Adnon. Then she looked back at the irritant dragonfly. With a deep breath, she scooped Adnon up in her jaws and grabbed the book with her tail. Then, she slowly climbed down the tree, trying to ignore the dragon's staring eyes. She placed Adnon beside her, handing him the book, then she looked up at the trio, blinking as she recognized them. _'Flame, Spyro, and Cynder. The heroes! Why did the dreadwing drop me here though?'_

Flame cleared his throat, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I'm ahem... Sorry for trying to kill you." He gritted out, obviously not happy about apologizing. His golden red hued wings shifted, tapping the bag around his neck.

"The dreadwings used to be enemies." Cynder explained, her obsidian scales reflecting the patches of sunlight filtering through the treetops. "They would drop enemies down using those pods so we thought you were an enemy."

"We should have checked before attacking. After all, Malefor has been gone for years." Spyro said, a sheepish smile on his amethyst face.

Eritess smiled at them. "Its fine, really. An understandable mistake. No one got hurt, that's the important thing."

"You're the ones who beat Malefor!" Adnon burst out from beside Eritess, jumping up. "You guys are warriors, right Eritess?"

Nodding, Eritess wrapped her tail around him and placed him back beside her. "Sorry about him." She apologized, smiling when Adnon gave a groaned protest.

"Its no issue." Cynder said, smiling as well. "Is he your son?"

"Oh, no." Eritess giggled at the idea. "He was just there when-" Her face slid into a frown and she pulled him closer. "I should probably go." She murmured, placing Adnon on her back with the book. "I'm putting you all in danger."

Flame tilted his head in confusion. "How? What happened?" Cynder and Spyro looked at her expectantly.

Eritess bit her lip, wondering if she should tell them. She finally gave in, placing Adnon on the ground once more and turning to the group. She sat down and explained to them what had happened her over the past 2 days. How she went from being an ordinary baker to this most wanted creature. "The werewolves, they need to work for this Rinturc, because its the only way to release them from the realm." Eritess said, sadly remembering Warpbrood's brave deed. "They're slowly starving in there."

"That is quite the story." Spyro murmured.

Cynder spoke up from beside him. "We've been attacked by many creatures since Malefor's defeat, mostly vengeful apes. But not any werewolves. We've also heard a few rumors about Rinturc."

"Something about him having taken over some uncommon realms. Not sure if its true though." Flame had a deeply concentrated look on his face, almost looking comical.

"Have you heard anything about Montur?" The white dragoness tapped her claws on her book, her silver orbs seeking answers.

Disappointment greeted her head on as the dragons shook their heads. "We could take you back to the dragon village though if you would prefer. Although I would suggest you not stay there, just let Mosk know you're okay. The Guardian's Temple would be much safer."

"Another dragon to travel with?" Sparx moaned, but he was ignored other than a glare from Spyro.

Eritess bit her lip as she thought, turning her gaze down to Adnon. The red hatchling looked back up at her, curiosity and longing etched in his cinnamon eyes. "What do you want to do?" She found herself asking.

"I want to go home." The reply was instant. "I want to be back where Nanny is always lecturing me about eating too many sweets and you come every Wednesday to read us stories." The longing intensified as he kept his eyes locked with hers.

She nodded, putting a comforting smile on her face. "Then we will go home. If you wouldn't mind." Her eyes traveled up to the four.

"I don't make offers I'm not willing to keep." Spyro piped, standing up.

Flame rolled his cerulean eyes. "Don't we all know." His voice was sarcastic, not unlike the tone Sparx first used with her. "Just like you 'offered' that I would get a bruise if I didn't shut up last time we were at the temple."

"And I'm offering that you will get another bruise on top of that one if you don't shut up right now." He had a grin on his face as he retorted back to the red dragon.

That statement seemed to be a challenge for Flame threw the bag off his shoulder and gave a fake war cry, jumping the purple hero. They began playfully wrestling with each other, looking like overgrown hatchlings. The obsidian dragoness had to jump back to avoid the ball of purple and red scales, a smile crossing her face.

"Show him whose boss Spyro!" Sparx rooted, lightly landing on a tree branch.

Adnon dug his claws into the trunk of the tree, hefting himself on the same branch as Sparx. They exchanged knowing looks. "Go Flame!" Adnon whooped.

The two dragonesses sat side by side, watching the spectacle with amusement. Eritess made a muffled sound of pain, lifting her paw back up to her head as the pain flooded back. "Did you get injured?" Cynder asked, turning her attention from the wrestling match.

"A piece of metal from that pod hit my head" Eritess groaned.

Cynder gave a 'hmm' before walking around the wrestling match until she reached Flame's discarded bag. She shuffled a paw around the bag for a few minutes before pulling out a red crystal. The dragoness snaked back around the clearing until she reached a tense Eritess.

"Here." Cynder handed the dragoness the crystal.

Eritess forced a grateful smile and gently wrapped her paw around the crystal. Instantly, the feeling of new energy and healing flooded through her. She forced the refreshing connection to end as soon as the pain in her head faded. "Thank you." She handed Cynder the dimmer crystal back.

The dragoness smiled at her. "It was no issue. We find these things all over the place." She held the crystal up.

"Are they always like this?" Eritess gestured to the two dragons, who were still wrestling. At the moment, it looked like Spyro was winning.

Cynder's lips spread into another grin. "Yep. It takes a while to get used to."

"Yea." Eritess laughed. "This isn't exactly how most creatures interpret you four."

"I know. That's what makes it funny." Cynder said, her emerald eyes bright with mirth.

They turned back to the wrestling match. Eritess's smile faded as she recalled the past two days. _'Why did it all have to happen so quickly?' _She wondered, gazing sadly at a maple tree. _'Couldn't it __have at least taken place over the course of like a week?' _It was hard for her to believe that only 48 hours ago, she was still dreaming of warriors and adventures. Now it seemed like she was on one and it wasn't anything like she had pictured.

_'What about Warpbrood? What happened to him?' _Thoughts of the brave werewolf began clouding her mind, making her sigh. _'This is all so much to take in with so little time.' _She gently rested her paw on her book, tracing a claw over the title. 'The Book of Legends.'

"Why the long face?" She vaguely heard Cynder ask from beside her.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, the white dragoness turned to her. "Its just difficult to take in. I mean; one minute I'm a baker, the next minute I'm being chased by this bad guy. I wish it could have happened over a longer period of time other than just 2 days."

It was silent for a moment before the black dragoness finally spoke. "Yes, it was a short time for it all to happen... But you made it through! You were strong and protected the one close to you." A black paw gestured towards the red hatchling, who was still rooting for Flame. "You were the one who kept him safe through that whole journey. If you can make it through that, you can make it through this."

Eritess pondered over her words, her gray eyes unfocused. A smile creased her white face and she turned her head to Cynder. "Thank you. That helped."

"I've gotten the same speech from Spyro many times." Cynder replied, gazing fondly over to the purple dragon.

The two sat in silence for a while longer until Flame gave a victorious whoop. "Take that, purple boy!" He got off from his position of pinning Spyro to the ground.

Spyro pushed himself up, grinning. "So you win this time. Its like a first for you."

"Tsk Tsk." Flame held a paw up, pointing at Spyro with a mock serious expression on his face. "I have won many times before. Not as many as you, but I have still won before."

"Sure." Spyro drawled. "Now if you mind, your championess, We have a dragoness and a hatchling to get to Dragon Village."

"How could I forget? The little munchkin was on my side!" Flame sent the hatchling a grin.

Giggling at the two, Eritess hovered up to Adnon, picking him up in her arms, her tail wrapped around her book. "How long will it take to get to Dragon Village?" Eritess asked, landing back down on the ground.

"About 2 days I would say." Spyro answered, his face twisted in concentration.

"Alright. Thank you again for doing this." Eritess said, placing Adnon gently on the grassy floor.

"Its no problem. Its our job to help maidens who randomly fall from the sky." Flame chirped, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Eritess grinned. "I'm sure it happens a lot."

"You wouldn't believe." Sparx muttered from his position on Spyro's horn.

Spyro began leading the way, Cynder beside him. _'Are we walking?' _Eritess thought, confused. "It makes it harder for enemies and rabid fans to spot us." Flame explained as if he read her thoughts.

"Ah, I see." Eritess quietly laughed.

Adnon scrambled up from his position on her back. "Will we get attacked by fans?" He asked.

Flame looked around, as if checking for enemies. Then he leaned over and whispered. "Stay low and they won't see you."

The dark red hatchling peeked around, then sank down into Eritess's mane. The white dragoness giggled, glancing over her shoulder at the hatchling.

"Would you like to put your book in the bag?" Flame asked, gesturing to the bag on his shoulder.

"That's alright. It must be heavy enough as it is." Eritess said, casting a grateful smile over her shoulder.

"Eh. I'm basically the pack mule around here, a book won't make it much heavier. Plus, less chance of it getting dirt on it." The red dragon shrugged. He held open the flap with a paw. "It really won't be that much trouble."

Eritess cast a concerned look at the book, then back at Flame. Finally, she gave in, gently placing her prized possession in the bag. "Thank you." She murmured.

Flame winked at her. "Like its been said before, its no problem."

The white dragoness could feel a faint blush creep over her cheeks.

…**.**

**Yay, chapter finished.**

The pod Eritess was dropped in was like the ones in A New Beginning, where a dreadwing would drop the pods and they would explode beside Spyro, exposing several apes. :)

Thank you for reading! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Holey PuffMuffin, I'm so sorry for the long wait! I typed chapter 7, thinking it was going to be this chapter but when it was finished I decided it wouldn't make a good chapter 6. So I made the original chapter 6, chapter 7, and typed this chapter for chapter 6. Confusing, I know. **

**Reviews! **

**Riverstyxx- Thank you! I can't give anything away, but Warpbrood's fate is a mystery. -cue eerie music-  
SilverDragon2891- Thank you so much! Yes, Eritess could have tried harder, but she is a coward. So fighting back didn't really pass through her brain. XD  
I used to like Twilight, but then I took a hiatus off it for a few years. Then I read it again and I could only think "I used to like this? WTF?" **

…**.**

Eritess turned her head, smiling to see Adnon fast asleep on her back. He was softly snoring, snuggling deeper into her mane when a gentle breeze swarmed around the trees. The breeze brought soft voices towards her and she was able to pick up a few words of what Spyro and Cynder were saying. The two dragons were up front, quietly conversing with the other. Flame and Sparx were a bit behind them, not-so-subtly eavesdropping, earning several glares and snaps from the other dragons.

For the first time since this whole thing began, Eritess felt completely at peace. She could hear the beautiful melody of a bluebird nearby. The sound just added to the quiet serenity she enjoyed so much. A ghost of a smile found its way on her lips as Adnon gave a particularly loud snore.

Her eyes closed, listening to the quiet hum of the surrounding plants. Most thought that plants were incapable of speech or thought. But any of the plant element could confidently tell them otherwise. Eritess reveled in her hidden knowledge as she listened to the plants quietly whispering to each other.

"Ow!" A quiet cry of pain made her stop in her tracks, her eyes quickly popping open.

She looked up to see Flame ruefully rubbing his head, glaring at Spyro. Sparx floated above them, laughing so hard his wings were shaking. The purple dragon had a victorious smirk on his face, his paw lifted in the air. "Told you." He said, placing his paw back on the ground. He began walking away again, Cynder beside him.

Grumbling, Flame watched them walk off, sticking his tongue out at Spyro's back. She felt Adnon shuffle and quickly turned her head, relieved to see him falling back asleep.

She couldn't quite take her eyes off the hatchling though. These past few days, she had begun feeling more protective of the young dragon. Part of her didn't want to see him leave to go to the nursery. This feeling was almost... motherly. She shook her head, clearing it of these ridiculous thoughts. _'It just because of all this excitement.' _

"You said you were a baker right?" Eritess looked back up to see Sparx hovering over her. His earlier hostility seemed to be forgotten.

"Yes. Mosk has been teaching me how to cook since I was old enough to hold a spoon." Eritess explained, a sad smile crossing her face at the thought of the brown dragoness.

Sparx made a puzzled face. "How do you even hold a spoon?" He asked, gesturing to her paws.

Eritess looked down at her paws. "Its actually really difficult." She giggled. "You have to hold the spoon between these two talons while the third one keeps the spoon steady." She tried demonstrating with a nearby stick, chuckling at Sparx's bewildered expression.

"And you manage to stir batter that way?"

"Well, others with actual hands have to handle the harder batters, like pie crust dough. But we dragons can manage the runnier batters, like cake or pie filling." The white dragoness flashed her even whiter teeth in a grin as Sparx tilted his head.

"I think I get it now." He said, his tone still slightly confused.

"When we get to Dragon Village, I'll be sure to let you all have a free meal. Not that that will be enough to repay you." Eritess said.

"Is Sparx trying to weasel a gift out of you?" Flame butt into the conversation, slowing his pace to walk beside her.

Sparx huffed indignantly. "I most certainly am not! I was just asking a few questions."

"Shame. Its the perfect time to." Was Flame's reply, making Eritess laugh.

Once she got her giggles under control, she mustered up a reply. "I will honestly try to repay you guys. Its the least I can do after all you guys are going for me."

"Hey, I was just joking. You really don't need to repay us." Flame said. "Its our job to help random dragonesses who-"

"Fall from the sky." Sparx finished with a mocking tone. "You've already said that, oh great hero."

"I don't remember talking to you." The red dragon said with a mock confused tone. "Unless you fell with her."

Eritess awkwardly shuffled her paws, feeling a battle about to ensue. Flame seemed to notice, for he shot Sparx a 'We'll continue this later' look. "So Eritess, Is this your first time outside of Dragon Village?" Flame asked.

"Actually, it is." Eritess answered. "Its more beautiful out here than I ever imagined."

"You think this is beautiful?" Sparx asked, looking disdainfully around the surrounding forest.

Flame looked around as well, his lips pursed in confusion. "I have to agree with Sparx. What's so beautiful?"

"Well." Eritess had to think about that, looking around. "The colors, sound, sight, things like that! You can compare the green of that tree to the green of that bush. Then if you look closely enough behind them, you can barely see the heads of daffodils peeking up!" She pointed her claw around as she spoke.

"Then there are the bird's songs." They all paused to listen to the whistling tune of a sparrow. "And if you peek at the dirt before you step on it, you can see the many prints of the creatures who walked here before us."

"Can't forget about the flowing breeze, singing through the trees and making the grass dance. It brings the scents of the unexplored! Just imagine what all waits out there, just begging to be discovered!" Eritess exclaimed, wanting to jump in the air, but refraining for Adnon's sake.

"I've honestly never thought of it that way." Flame said, peeking around the forest. "But the way you put it does make it sound really interesting." Sparx said nothing, just gazing wide-eyed at the trees.

"In the words of Torritask, my favorite warrior, 'Never ignore the beauty that surrounds you, every flower, every speck of dirt, holds a hidden story. But if you just trample them down without listening or watching, how are you to learn?" Eritess quoted from heart.

"Whose Torritask?" Sparx finally asked.

Eritess froze, a look of disbelief on her face. "Do you know who Torritask is, Flame?"

Flame shook his head, making her gasp. "You have got to be kidding!" She exclaimed, gasping in shock.

"So who is he?" Flame asked.

"He is in my legend book." Eritess said quietly. "Several times actually. He's saved the world from so many monsters."

"You don't actually believe that, do you? Its just a myt-" Sparx was cut off by an uncharacteristic glare from Eritess.

"He is real." She murmured, a strange tone in her voice. "I just know it."

Both Flame and Sparx exchanged shocked and puzzled glances. In the few hours they've known the white dragoness, she had never snapped at them nor had she gotten angry. But here she was, rage glistening in her eyes and her dull gray claws digging into the soil beneath them.

"Onto a brighter topic..." Flame said awkwardly, shooting Sparx a warning glance.

"Oh... yes." Eritess said, rapidly blinking. "I'm sorry about that. Touchy subject for me." She gave them a slight smile.

Flame gave her an uncertain smile back, casting a glance at the sleeping hatchling on her back. "We shouldn't have pried so far into your life then criticized it."

Eritess only smiled for a moment before turning and walking forward again. She didn't miss the second glance Sparx and Flame shared. She sighed. _'Nice way to ruin a friendship.' _"I really am sorry." She mumbled, turning her head back towards them.

"We know." Sparx said. "Just caught us off guard is all."

Satisfied that all was forgiven, Eritess once again closed her eyes, listening to the whispering plants.

….

"We should probably make camp here." Spyro said, breaking Eritess's thoughts.

She peered around the clearing, noting how soft the dirt looked. It was densely surrounded by pine trees, giving off the sweet scent. "Where are our beds?" Adnon asked from his position beside Eritess.

Cynder smiled down at the hatchling. "We need to make them." She said.

"How?" Adnon asked, looking up at Eritess for answers.

Eritess gently nudged him forward. "You'll see."

"First things first." Flame said. "We need food. We only have a little bit of jerky left, so we better not use that if we can find a different food source."

"I think I heard some rabbits back there." Spyro said, twisting his head around to face the way they came.

Cynder pushed him forward. "Then go hunting! Flame can stick to his namesake and start a fire, you can go get food, and Eritess and I will make the beds."

Flame rolled his eyes, walking to the trees. "I love how feminine my voice sounds when I volunteer for something."

Chuckling, Cynder led Eritess and Adnon away. "To make the beds, you gather up a bunch of leaves and then when you have a decent pile, you cover it with moss. Not the best cushion ever, but its better than nothing." She skirted around the trees and began sweeping leaving into the clearing with her tail.

Following her example, Eritess placed Adnon in the middle of the clearing and with a warning glance at him, began walking to another cluster of trees. She glanced around at all the dying leaves before experimentally sweeping her tail at them. She grinned when the leaves slid the direction her tail was waving. _'Lets do this!' _

She twirled around, her tail waving about. _'Its a miracle I'm not slapping any trees.' _She thought as she whirled her tail around, driving countless leaves out into the clearing.

"Can I help?" She paused to see Adnon looking up at her curiously.

Smiling, she nodded. "Did you see how I was doing it?"

"Yep!" Adnon hopped to an area a little further away from Eritess and waved his stubby tail around. A frown crossed his face when the leaves only trembled. He tried again and again with the same result. He stopped, panting and looking around at the leaves.

His eyes glinted with determination and he glared at the unmoving leaves. Suddenly, he began flapping his wings with powerful bursts, making the leaves fly in every direction. Eritess got several leaves to the face, making her cough. "Nice try Adnon but maybe you-"

She stopped when she saw him flapping his wings forward instead of down, the leaves flying where he faced. "Never mind then." Eritess laughed, walking away to start on a different area.

"I think we got enough!" Cynder called out.

Eritess poked her head up giggling when she saw the clutter of leaves that they had gathered. She scooped Adnon up in her jaws and walking to the clearing. Placing him down, she looked up at the black dragoness. "Now what?"

"Now we clump them together in 4 piles. That is, if Adnon wouldn't mind sleeping with you." Cynder said, looking at the hatchling.

Adnon shook his head, smiling up at Eritess. She gently smiled back before turning to Cynder, who softened at the exchange. "Okay, since the boys are so fat, their beds need to be wider and flatter than ours will be."

"I heard that!" They could hear Flame yell from the other end of the clearing. He was currently stacking bigger sticks on the growing fire. "Its called muscle!"

Sparx flew down by Flame and comfortingly patted his head. "We all know the truth, chubby. You don't have to lie anymore." He just narrowly dodged a swipe from the red dragon.

"Behave you two!" Cynder scolded. She turned back to Eritess. "Lets make the first one together, so you understand how its supposed to work."

Adnon grimaced at the word 'work.' He quickly glanced at the two dragonesses before taking off as fast as his little legs could take him, towards the bickering Flame and Sparx. The dragonesses shared giggles before continuing with their work.

As they began to pile up the leaves, Eritess turned to Cynder. "Why is the fire all the way over there?"

Cynder patted the new 'bed', making a sound of approval. "We aren't sure just what kind of enemies are here. The first thing they will go after is the fire, if we are in the shadows it not only gives us a time to access the situation and decide a plan of action, but also gives us the element of surprise."

"I see..." Eritess said, a prickle of fear running down her spine at the thought of unknown enemies.

Seeing her hesitance, Cynder smiled at her. "Its highly unlikely that anything but an ape will attack a dragon. They are smart enough to know better."

Eritess returned the smile. "Okay. Thanks."

"Do you think you could make the other boy's bed and I will start on ours?" Cynder asked.

"I got it!" Eritess said, beginning to take up leaves for emphasis.

Cynder turned and began stacking as well. "I have to say, it is so nice to have another dragoness with us. Traveling with only guys gets pretty tough at times."

"I would imagine!" Eritess laughed. "Especially when the boys you are traveling with are almost as bad as hatchlings!"

They paused in their work to watch the Sparx, Flame, and Adnon make funny faces at each other. Eritess couldn't stop the soft laugh from coming out. Cynder joined in the laughter. "Sometimes it is tiring, but other times I wouldn't want them to change for anything in the world."

"Why?" Eritess couldn't help but ask.

"They remind me, that even after the war, there is still laughter and playing. Its not just sadness and grief. Seeing them living the childhood they were denied, it makes me happy." Cynder simply explained, a small smile on her face. Eritess thought she saw a brief flicker of grief in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't be sure. They turned to watch Spyro walk into the clearing, 4 rabbits hanging from his mouth.

Not knowing what to say, Eritess awkwardly began stacking again, finishing the last bed. Suddenly, an idea struck her. "Cynder, have you ever had a leaf shower?" She asked, subtly sweeping up the extra leaves into a big pile.

Cynder's face furrowed in confusion at the change of subject. "No. How does that work?"

"Like this!" Eritess sprang into the pile as hard as she could, beaming when leaves flew everywhere, efficiently covering Cynder.

When the air cleared, Cynder was standing there, staring at the white dragoness in shock, a pile of leaves on her head. They could vaguely hear the others on the other side of the clearing laughing. Eritess managed to muffle a giggle as Cynder just stood there. Suddenly, her peals of laughter rang through the air, making Eritess grin in victory.

Still laughing, Cynder pointed her snout down, letting the leaves fall off her head. Then she shook herself off to get rid of the leaves on her back. "And that is a leaf shower." Eritess giggled.

"I'll have to take those more often!" Cynder laughed.

"Definitely. I hear they are good for the scales." Eritess said, a smile plastered on her face.

A delicious smell made them turn their heads. "If you're done acting like hatchlings, we need some help cooking." Flame said jokingly.

"We'll get them later." Cynder mouthed to Eritess, who nodded in return. "Someone go get moss for the beds and Eritess and I will cook."

….

Eritess watched the fire slowly die, until all that was left were the glowing embers. Her silver eyes drooped, but sleep never came. Adnon snored in his sleep, making Eritess smile. She listened to the quiet breathing of the other dragons as she looked up at the night sky, seeing countless stars littering the dark sky.

The gentle breeze rustled the trees, making the comforting sound of leaves and branches drift to her. Eritess inhaled the sweet scents of the forest, her eyes closed. _'I feel like I'm home.' _She realized. These dragons didn't judge her, nor did they make her feel uncomfortable about her obsession with her book. Flame never once lost his patience the countless times she asked to check the book was still in the bag.

_'If only Mosk were here as well.' _Thinking about the brown dragoness made her heart painfully twinge. _'We will be back together soon.' _She comforted herself, glancing at Adnon. _'But when I go back, Adnon returns to the nursery. And I can only see him on Wednesdays.' _She didn't quite understand the motherly feelings she felt for the hatchling. No matter how many times she reprimanded herself, they never went away.

_'I'll be home. Soon.' _The thought rang through her mind as her eyes drooped closed and she slowly faded off to sleep.  
**….**

**That last part may seem pretty pointless, but OH WELL.  
This chapter, has taught me many things. **

**Listen to the appropriate music while typing, or else you'll type crap. DO NOT listen to Christina Perri while trying to write humor. Just don't.**

**Do not eat minty things and drink cold water while you are distracted. Agony ensues. **

**It is practically impossible to play Sims 3 and write at the same time.**

I have passed this knowledge onto you. Use it wisely.

Thank you for reading! :D


	7. Chapter 7

**You wouldn't believe how fun this chapter was to type. I kinda went a little crazy on the imagination but hey, that just makes it funner! Right? Right?  
….**

Eritess couldn't take her eyes off the magnificent scene before her. Everywhere she looked there were cherry blossoms tree. A glass clear lake lay in the very middle, its reflective surface rippling as stray blossom petals gently landed on the still water. Snow covered mountain tops poked up out of the horizon, just adding to the beauty. Overhead, a cloudless blue sky reigned.

The white dragoness slowly walked to the lake, her silver eyes taking in every detail. Her white scales shimmered in the faint sunlight as she waded into the lake. She gasped as she saw an albino otter as it peered its head up out of the water. It winked one of its green eyes at her before diving back underwater. Eritess took a step forward, searching for the curious creature. Suddenly, she plunged into the water with an undignified splash.

Instantly, she was trying to get to the surface, gasping as her paws were met with ice. _'Wait a second...' _She backtracked, taking a deep breath. _'Am I breathing underwater?' _The sensation was excited and terrifying at the same time.

"This isn't possible!" She exclaimed, looking around the water.

"Then explain how you are doing it." A voice chirped from beside her.

She turned to see the otter staring at her with an amused expression on its face. "Did you just talk?" She asked, getting more and more confused by the second. Bubbles floated in front of her face as she spoke.

Without answering, the otter turned and began swimming away. "Wait!" Eritess swam after it, desperate to keep it in her vision. "What's going on?"

"You are in the dream realm." The voice answered again. She realized with a puzzled frown that it wasn't the otter talking.

"Who are you?" She asked, frustrated.

"Just follow Morhin. Things will be explained." _'Morhin?' _Eritess thought her head was going to explode from confusion as she swam after the otter.

Morhin lead her to an underwater entrance, its mouth barely big enough to fit Eritess in it. With a squeak, the otter gracefully swam into the hole. "Oh come on!" Eritess groaned, looking at the narrow entrance apprehensively.

Sighing, she clambered into the tunnel less than gracefully. Her wings were pinned to her sides as she dug her claws into the soft soil, slowly making her way through. "Can't this get any bigger?" She asked, just spotting the otter swim around a corner.

Instantaneously, the tunnels walls caved away from her, giving her space to spread her wings. "Odd but thanks..." Eritess mumbled, still eying the walls with suspicion.

The otter looked back, it's eyes meeting hers for a brief moment before it turned away and disappeared upwards. Eritess peered up to see a hole in the tunnel, a bright light shining through. Sighing in relief, she practically jumped out of the water, beaming as her face was met with fresh air. Her grin turned into another frown as she looked around at the snowy hills surrounding her. A night sky now hung in the air above her. Her frown deepened as a breeze blew her mane back again and she felt the warmth radiating off of it.

Slowly, she clambered out of the hole, her scales and mane drying the instant they exited the water. A squeak sounded from nearby. Eritess had to squint her eyes to spot the white otter. Cautiously, she began following it, still gazing around the fluffy whiteness that surrounded her.

She was led to a willow tree. A gasp flew from her mouth as she saw its leaves were made entirely out of crystals. Gently, she reached to touch a leaf. It broke off the branch before her paw had fully touched it, falling to the ground. It laid there for a minute before it shifted with a flash of light. A small octopus floated up from where the crystal leaf had been. Eritess watched in astonishment as the yellow octopus began to fly up in the air, waving its tentacles around, much like an octopus in the water would. It disappeared into the horizon, Eritess watching it all the way.

"I don't know whether to be freaked out or extremely happy." Eritess commented, her eyes still staring at where the octopus had disappeared.

The otter squeaked again, getting her attention. Sighing, she turned and followed the creature once more, wondering just what she had gotten herself into. Soon, they entered a thin forest. There was the occasional snow patch here and there, but for the most part the ground was bare.

"Are we almost there?" Eritess asked, spreading her wings and flying over a fallen log. She turned to see Morhin struggling to clamber over the log as well. Smiling, Eritess flew back over and gently picked the otter up in her paws before placing it down on the other side. It squeaked at her, then continued walking forward.

A puzzled expression crossed her face as the forest began to fade out, exposing a sandy ground. Her eyes widened as she came across a sight that was both beautiful and unbelievable. Morhin had led her to a clearing of silver sand. There were a few trees littered around the place, but the one that caught her eye was a drooping pine tree. It looked very much like a willow but the scent told her otherwise.

Off to the side of the silver clearing, a small pond lay, its surface occasionally rippling. A single lily grew from the center of the pond, earning confused looks from Eritess. There were four golden figures dancing around its pink petals, casting glowing reflections on the pond. The dragoness curiously walked up to the pond, staring at the beautiful figures with glazed over silver eyes. Underneath the glowing balls, she saw 4 fish swimming in the opposite direction of the balls, each a different color.

There was a white fish with long flowing fins, the ends fading into silver. Then there was a light blue fish with short fins that ran along its back and blended into its tail then ran down its belly, the ends of the fins abruptly cutting off to a teal color. The third fish was a mixture hued red, its fins were long and jagged, a lighter red creeping up from the ends. The last fish was a dark black, its fins the longest off all, even more jagged then the red's ones. There were splashes of purple all over its fins, giving it a ghastly but at the same time, beautiful appearance.

"Those fishes represent the balance in the world." The familiar voice said.

Eritess turned to see a light pink dragoness walking up to her. She had three darker pink dots under her eyes, which Eritess was surprised to find, were two different colors. Her right eye was blue while her left eye was brown. Two extremely curved, pearly white, horns adorned each side of her face, accenting the curves of her cheeks. She had a silver fin running from between her eyes to the base of her tail. A golden crystal rested on the end of her tail. Her silver claws reflected the faint light the glowing balls as she walked up, her eyes fixed on the white dragoness.

"Who are you?" Eritess managed to stammer out, backing away as the dragoness came closer.

The tall dragoness sighed, sitting next to the pond. "Do not be afraid of me. I shall not hurt you."

The young dragoness blinked, regarding the older pink dragoness. "You're the one who was talking to me in the midst of the werewolves... Weren't you?" She asked, tilting her head at the familiar tone.

Surprisingly, the dragoness turned and gave Eritess a smile. "You do remember me then." She said, relief in her voice.

"How did you know Warpbrood would help me?" Eritess asked, cautiously sitting next to the dragoness.

"That I cannot tell you. Just know he lives." The dragoness said, holding up a wing to indicate the end of the subject.

Eritess could feel a million questions swarm around her brain but for the pink dragon's sake, she pushed them to the back of her mind. Instead, she asked he question that has been nagging her for ages. "Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Diyeh." The pink dragoness murmured. "I am to be your guide through the troubled times ahead."

"Oh..." Eritess looked back down at the fishes, watching them swim in an even circle. "You said these fishes represent the balance of life. How?"

Diyeh looked down at the fishes, a solemn smile on her face. "The white fish represents love, the blue fish represents peace, the red fish represents hate, while the black fish represents war."

"How do those represent the balance of life?" Eritess asked, her eyes locked on the peace fish.

"These are the balance of life; for peace cannot exist without war, just as love cannot exist without hate."

"So... As long as these fish are alive, so are the things it represents?" Eritess was puzzled.

"Yes." Diyeh turned her head up to the starry night above. "If the fish dies, so does the feelings and emotions it plays."

"Why do the bad things have to exist in order for the good things to? Why can't there just be love? Why does there also have to be hate?"

"Would it really be love if we all felt it, all the time?" Diyeh answered.

"I guess not..." Eritess furrowed her face in confusion. She gazed around the silver clearing, smiling as she spotted Morhin curled under the drooping pine tree. "What is this place?" She asked.

The pink dragon turned her multicolored eyes on Eritess. "I've told you before. This is the dream realm."

"But what exactly is the dream realm?"

"You'll see in time." Diyeh said, standing up.

Eritess jumped up as well. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"There are answers that can be provided for you, and answers that you must learn on your own." Was the only reply she got.

"Okay." The white dragon sighed, looking down at her paws. "Can you tell me anything? Why did you bring me here?"

"It was time. Time for you to begin to learn the true essence of your magical abilities." Diyeh explained, walking towards an empty patch of sand. "I am to be your teacher."

"But you aren't a plant dragon." Eritess said, following her. "How are you supposed to teach me an element you barely know?"

Diyeh turned her head toward Eritess, showing only her brown eye. "I may not be a plant dragon, for that element did not exist in my time, but I know more than you credit me for."

"But-"

"No more questions. It is time to learn your first ability." Diyeh said sternly, pointing towards a young maple tree. "You know how to heal and grow a plant, but what about a tree?"

Morhin walked up, settling beside Diyeh. Eritess smiled at the otter then turned towards the tree. With a deep breath, she blew on it, focusing on it growing. Energy surged through her, giving her that familiar feeling of power. She grinned as the tree began growing. Her grin faded as she saw that's all the tree did, grow. It didn't fatten up any, nor did it bloom anymore. It just grew taller. It began to tilt to the side, looking very much like a balding palm tree.

"A tree requires more magical focus and energy. You must focus on what the tree is to become while at the same time, sending only your positive energy into it." Diyeh said, suppressing a smile at the strange looking tree. "Try again."

Eritess leaned her paws on the flimsy trunk and began focusing again. With the picture of a strong maple tree in her mind, she began to let her energy flow through her paws and into the branch, smiling when she felt it began to thicken under her paws. Eyes closed, she focused on the pointed leaves, listening to the familiar shuffling sound above her.

When she finally deemed it finished, Eritess backed away, inspecting her handiwork. She grinned at the sight of her imaginary maple tree come to life. She turned to Diyeh. "Was that good enough?" She said with a cocky smile on her face.

Behind her, the tree shuddered before falling over, almost hitting Eritess. The white dragoness frowned, turning her silver eyes over her shoulder to see the fallen tree. Diyeh had a ghost of a smile on her face. "I think you forgot the roots." Amusement was practically dripping off her words.

Groaning, Eritess walked away from the tree in frustration. "It would have been perfect if you remembered the roots." Diyeh said, her eyes following Eritess's progress across the silver sand.

"So many things to remember." Eritess whined, looking up at the drooping pine tree. "If this is the easy lesson, I don't think I can manage the harder ones."

"Do not think like that." Diyeh snapped. Her tone made Eritess swiftly turn to her. "You've only tried once and you deemed it too hard to do. Get your morale out of the pit, strap it to your back, and go try to fix that tree once more!" The pink dragoness growled, her eyes blazing.

"How? Its fallen over!" The white dragoness said, pointing at the said tree.

"Try." Diyeh growled.

Eritess suddenly felt a wave of fear flash through her as she looked at the furious dragoness. Biting her lip, she slowly walked back towards the tree, trying to avoid eye contact with Diyeh. She studied the tree, thinking of methods to get it back up.

Sighing, she once again placed her paws on the tree's trunk and closed her eyes. Taking rhythmic breaths, she began focusing on the roots that were hanging limply in the air to take to the ground once more. The sound of creaking wood encouraged her, making a small smile play on her lips. The tree shifted under her, slowly starting to lean back up. Her breathing grew deeper as she focused more energy into the tree. After much mental effort, the tree was standing, looking strangely proud.

She suddenly felt really tired and could feel her eyes drooping. "Diyeh, what's happening to me?"

The pink dragon smiled at her. "You did well. It is time to wake up now."

The last thing Eritess saw was Diyeh's face smiling down at her.

…**.**

**Eritess gives up quite easily in some situations. Not all. But some.**

The fish in the pond were beta fish. Just to give you that visual.  


**I can't think of anything else to say...**

**Thank you for reading! **


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is rather short. Its because I wanted to be evil to you guys and make you read a cliffy! MWAHAHAHA -evil lightening flashes in evil background-**

**Reviews!-**

**CoolDragon1990- Thank you for all the lovely reviews! Makes me feel bad that I haven't been reviewing as much! I'll try to step up the reviewing a notch :)**

**The legend is not like the Okami game (I love that game.) **

**SilverDragon2891- Thank you! I just thought it wouldn't really sit well. I dunno, I'm still pretty inexperienced so I could be wrong.**

…**. **

Eritess woke up with a gasp, her eye popping open. She just stared ahead, blinking as her thoughts came back to reality. The scent of pine still hung in the air, filling her nostrils. The sun was slowly peeking up, brightening the clearing. Adnon was curled up under her wing, quietly snoring. She glanced around, seeing that the others were still asleep. Their snoring overthrew Adnon's, filling the forest.

_'What an odd dream.' _She thought. She was about to settle back down when she realized her paw was clasping something. Confused, she lifted the paw to her face, unfurling her talons to see a single cherry blossom petal rested on her paw. Another gasp left her maw as she peered closer at it. _'What the? What's happening.' _Her mind was in turmoil as she stared, confused at the petal.

_'She told me she was going to be my guide and teacher.' _Eritess concluded, recalling the events of the dream. _'So this isn't all just a dream. Though it does seem rather farfetched.' _Sighing, she blew of the petal, watching it float away into the trees. _'I'll figure things out. Eventually.' _

_ 'Why did I have to wake up now?' _She wondered, looking around the clearing. She unwrapped herself from Adnon, placing some of the warm moss she had been lying on beside him. With a yawn, she stretched herself out, much like a cat would.

_'What do dragons usually do in camp when they first wake up?' _She wondered, frowning as she gazed around the clearing. _'Do they make fires?' _She wondered, gazing at the ashy embers. _'Or do they hunt?' _Her stomach turned at the thought of killing some poor bunny rabbit. She didn't mind someone else killing it, but she just couldn't do it.

_'Maybe they- Oh I have no clue!' _Sighing, she plopped down by the ashes, frowning in puzzlement as she looked at her paws. _'Why didn't Mosk and I ever go camping?' _

"Eritess?" The said dragoness turned to see a drowsy Cynder walking towards her. "What are you doing awake?"

"Good Morning Cynder. I just had a weird dream is all." Eritess explained, smiling at the black dragoness.

"Oh." Cynder yawned before sitting next to Eritess. "I'm used to being the only one awake at this hour. Those three would sleep till noon if you let them."

Eritess giggled. "I don't doubt it. I wouldn't be surprised if the inhabitants of Dragon Village were able to hear their snoring."

Cynder laughed at that. "That is something we will have to question them about when we get there tonight."

The two dragonesses sat in silence, quietly enjoying the calm peace the clearing had to offer. A particularly loud snore made them both jump. They whirled around just in time to see Spyro let out another tremendous snore. Flame jolted awake, his head springing up and turning towards the sound. Sparx, who was perched on the purple dragon's nose, fell off in his startled drowsiness, letting out a string of curses as he landed roughly on the ground. Adnon peeked his head over the nest like bed, his eyes widening at Sparx's choice of words. Flame scooped Sparx up, giving him a warning glare as the dragonfly stopped his shouting, instead going to muttered cursing. Another loud snore made the whole group jump once more, each head turning again to the purple dragon responsible, who was still asleep.

"Fat oaf." Flame growled, setting Sparx on the edge of his nest and standing up. He stormed over to Spyro, the frown on his face deepening at the sound of another snore. He reached the purple dragon and before he could snore again, flung him off his bed.

Eritess laughed at the sight. A shocked and bewildered Spyro popped up from the ground, staring confused at Flame. The purple dragon dragged his gaze around the rest of the clearing, his puzzlement thickening. "What happened?" He slurred, still drowsy.

"You woke everybody up with your ridiculous snoring, you twit!" Flame snapped, his tail lashing from side to side in anger.

"Oh." Spyro mumbled, rubbing a paw across his eyes. "Sorry."

"Tell that to the lovely dream I was having!" Flame growled, whirling around and stomping back to his nest, plopping down with a last glare at Spyro.

"Oh no." Cynder butt in. "Now that you all are awake, we can start preparing to leave."

"Thanks a lot Spyro." Muttering could be heard all across the clearing.

Eritess couldn't contain herself anymore, she began laughing. "Is it like this every morning?" She asked, giggling as she walked up to Adnon.

"This was a little weirder than usual but the concept is the same." Cynder replied, watching a grumpy Flame get back up and leave his bed, huffing.

With one last chortle of amusement, Eritess swept Adnon up and placed him outside the nest. "Eritess?" Adnon murmured, walking beside her.

"Yes?" Eritess bent her head down to his level so she could hear.

"Are we going home tonight?" Adnon asked, his cinnamon eyes wide as he looked up at her.

Eritess smiled at him, her silver eyes soft. "Yes. We'll be home by tonight."

Adnon smiled back up at her. "Good. I want to tell everybody about our adventures."

"And you will be able to. You'll be the next Torritask." Eritess murmured, saddened by the thought of Adnon leaving. She knew she would be able to see him every Wednesday, but it wasn't the same with several other hatchlings with him. Being captured with a hatchling tended to give you protective feelings. But Eritess wasn't sure if these feelings would ever go away.

"Come eat!" Cynder called, holding up some jerky. "Since we are going to town tonight, we can just buy more travel foods."

"You aren't buying anything!" Eritess protested while Adnon charged over to the black dragoness. "I'll pay for everything."

"Eritess." Spyro groaned, rubbing the last bit of sleep from his eyes. "We've already told you like a hundred times, you don't have to do anything for us!"

Eritess rolled her eyes. "Look, I would be in deep trouble if you guys hadn't helped me! I WANT to repay you. There's no 'having to do' about it!"

"Compromise?" Cynder suggested. "It really is too much for you to pay for everything."

"Hmm." Eritess pondered for a few minutes. "What if, I gave you guys a free meal at the cafe and paid for half of your provisions?"

The group exchanged looks before Cynder sighed. "Still a lot, but it will do."

Satisfied, Eritess grabbed a slice of jerky and began eating. "We'll finish eating, destroy the beds, then head out." Spyro said, finishing off his jerky.

….

Eritess walked in the back of the group beside Flame. Adnon was on the red dragon's back, explaining to him and Sparx about the process of cooking. "And then, you stick the bowl in the fire. But be careful, cause fire burns." Adnon said, acting out a burn for emphasis.

Giggling, Eritess turned her attention to the two dragons in the front. She smiled as Spyro and Cynder laughed together. "They make such a good couple." Eritess sighed.

"Too bad neither of them can see it." Flame snorted.

"Yes. Its a shame." Eritess agreed. Suddenly her lips spread into a sly smile. "Maybe they need a little push."

Flame got a devious look on his face. "Continue."

"Well... If we place them in a bunch of awkward situations several times, the feelings have got to come out! One of them will admit it, the other one will admit to being stupid, they'll kiss, and have a happy ending!"

"That's so amazingly obvious, it just might work." Flame declared. "Any ideas?"

"Why don't we lure them on a dinner date?" Sparx suggested. Eritess was surprised, she didn't even know he had been listening.

"How do we plan on doing that?" Flame asked, his surprise already wiped from his face.

Sparx huffed, like it was obvious. "You arrange a night out with Spyro, Eritess does the same with Cynder. Then you two bail and Spyro and Cynder meet 'unexpectedly.'"

"How came I get the feeling this has been done so many times before?" Flame groaned.

"Because it has." Sparx said. "If you bothered to pick up a book you would know this. Haven't you two ever read 'Oblivious Love'"

"No." Flame and Eritess said at the same time. "Why would you read that?" Flame added at the end.

"None of your business, chubby." Sparx said, sticking his tongue out at Flame. "Point is, I read it. And it has a bunch of ideas that would help us in this department!"

"Maybe we can check it out of the library. Although, I don't think I'll be around long enough to help." As she was saying this, Eritess felt a deep wave of sadness hit her. But she wasn't quite sure why.

Flame tried to lighten her mood. "We'll be staying in Dragon Village for a couple of days."

"Yea. That will be plenty of time to make Spyro and Cynder see whats under their noses." Eritess murmured.

"Can I help?" Adnon piped, clambering over Flame's back. "I want to help!"

Flame chuckled. "You will be of great use, little midget."

"Eritess?" Adnon stage whispered from Flame's back.

"What?" Eritess whispered back.

"What's a midget?"

Eritess had to pause, biting her lip to hold in her laughter. "A midget is someone who is... short."

Adnon gaped indignantly, sitting up. "I am not a midget!" He protested. "I happen to be the tallest one in the nursery!"

"I stand corrected." Flame joked, putting a serious expression on his face.

"You must live there by now." Sparx snorted, earning a glare from Flame.

Eritess giggled at the duo. "So tomorrow, we'll check out the book, get the ideas, and test them!"

"The quartet of mischief!" Flame declared.

"Can we have cake?" Adnon asked, hopping up and down on Flame's back.

Sparx hovered down next to Adnon. "Oh hatchling. You have so much to learn. Mischief first. Then cake."

….

"Here we are, Eritess! Dragon Village!" Spyro said, waving a paw around the buildings. The sun was now setting, casting shadows over the dragon's backs.

"Mosk!" Eritess screamed in excitement, running towards the cafe as fast as she could. "You guys will love her! Shes nice and-" Eritess cut herself off as she realized the dragons were no longer beside her. She turned to see them walking after her. "HURRY UP!" She shrieked before charging forward again.

The cafe entered her sight. She grinned at the familiar red hue of its bricks. "MOSK!" She screamed once more at the sight of the brown dragoness walking out of the cafe.

Mosk looked up, her green eyes landed on the white dragoness running towards her. In a swift movement, she jumped in the air, dodging Eritess's hug. Once Eritess had stumbled past her, she landed in her original spot, gazing confused at the white dragon.

Eritess pushed herself up before turning to Mosk. "Mosk. What's wrong? Why did you avoid me?" She asked in a ramble of questions, taking a step closer to the dragoness she considered her mother.

What Mosk said next made her heart break into a million pieces. "Do I know you?"

…**.**

**Ohohoho Cliffy! XD Cliffhangers are so fun to write but so irritating to read. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the cliffy. But it was fun. XD**

**Reviews! **

**SilverDragon2891- Thanks! **

**Yea, Cliffhangers suck. But they are fun to write! **

…**.**

Eritess backed away from the brown dragoness, stammering in disbelief. "What do you mean? You raised me!"

Mosk looked her up and down, her face thoughtful. "I don't recall even seeing you. Maybe you are mistaken."

"No I'm not!" Eritess could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. She could hear the others coming up behind her but she was too involved in Mosk to take much notice. "Mosk... You are like a mother to me! Why don't you remember me?"

"Wait a second. Eritess, right?" Mosk asked, making hope well up in Eritess's chest.

"Yes, Mosk! I'm Eritess! You named me! You said you always loved that name because it reminded you of a pretty flower!"

Mosk shook her head. "Tyem was mentioning you yesterday. I guess he told you about me as well, although I can't even begin to imagine how you got those ideas that I raised you."

"B-b-but. Mosk..."

"Look. I do not know you, Eritess. I've never seen you before in my life. I'm sorry, but I have things to do." With that, Mosk spread her wings and rose in the air.

"WAIT!" Eritess screamed after her. She ran under where Mosk was flying, dodging creatures that scattered the streets. "Your favorite color is yellow, because that was the color of your mother! You like to sing lullabies because it always makes you feel happy inside! You won't make brownies because you feel they are too cliche!" She sobbed loudly. "Remember the legends you read to me when I was too young to read myself? Remember Torritask?"

Mosk paused in flight, turning to the white dragoness with an angry expression on her face. She roughly landed in front of Eritess, forcing her to stop. "I don't know how you know me so well." Mosk snapped. "But I do not know you! Stop following me! Leave me alone before I call the authorities!" The brown dragon turned her back pointedly on Eritess and flew once more into the air. Except this time, Eritess didn't follow.

She felt like an anchor was being dropped on her chest, bruising her heart. As Mosk disappeared into the horizon, she let out a wail of agony. "Eritess!" She heard Cynder yell.

_'They can't all have forgotten me.' _She thought, looking frantically around. Her eyes landed on the red scales of Ferrid. "FERRID!" She screamed, running towards the old dragoness.

The ruby dragon turned to the white dragoness. "Why hello." She said. "Who are you?"

"Do you remember Adnon?" Eritess asked, making no move to wipe her tears away.

"Who is Adnon? And what ever is the matter?" Ferrid asked kindly, leaning towards the distressed dragoness.

"NO!" Eritess wailed, turning and running through the crowd of creatures, ignoring Ferrid calling after her.

Her feet automatically took her to the cottage Hixen lived in. She knocked on the door, still sobbing. A bewildered blue dragoness opened the door. "Who are you? What's wrong?" Hixen asked.

Despair flooded through Eritess like a wild fire. Dazedly, she turned and ran from the cottage. Trees and houses passed by her but she paid no heed. Time seemed to slow as she ran though the now empty streets, the moonlight reflecting off her back. Her black mane continuously fell in front of her eyes as tears poured down her cheeks. Even as her breath began to shallow, she continued running, pushing herself to the limit.

Only when she could not take another step did she fall to the ground, sobbing. She buried her face in her arms, panting for breath. Her body slumped against the cold ground in defeat. Her tears soaked through the soil, coaxing up the small blue flowers underneath.

"Eritess!" She recognized the voice of Flame but again, paid no heed. _'Please. Just go away.' _She thought, hoping he would somehow hear her mental message and leave.

"Why do you have to go running off like that?" She heard him snap as he pushed through the foliage surrounding her. "The whole group had to split up to look for you, Adnon is freaking out, and- Hey... Are you crying?" His voice changed from angry to concerned in an instant as he neared her.

Eritess reluctantly lifted her head out of her arms but didn't look at Flame. "They don't remember me." She murmured, her voice breaking. "None of them remember me. I am just a stranger to them. Mosk... She... I've never seen her so angry. At anyone."

Flame laid down beside her, almost touching her. "I'm not sure what is happening. But didn't Mosk mention a Tyem?"

"She did." Eritess said, lifting a paw to wipe her tears away. "I just don't know if I want to go. If we go and he doesn't remember me... I'll lose it."

"You haven't lost it already?" Flame asked, making her give a half-hearted chuckle.

"Maybe I have." Eritess said, looking around to see they were in the middle of a grassy plain. Pine trees poked over the far horizon, their leaves and branches shrouded in the moonlight. It was quite beautiful. She rubbed a paw across her eyes.

"If you don't go see Tyem, how will you know if he can remember you or not? Maybe he can. And you will get answers once you go see him."

Eritess pondered over his words for a moment before standing up. "Your right. Maybe I should go see him."

Flame smiled at her before standing up as well. "We will all go." He said. Then he lifted his head up in the air and blew out a silver fire ball, which flew through the air till it disappeared amongst the clouds. "So the others know I found you." He answered at her questioning look. "Now we meet them at the cafe."

"Oh." Eritess said quietly. She shook herself off and began walking forward, knowing the way to the cafe by heart. She led Flame to the cafe, eyes widening in surprise as she saw just how far she ran.

The red bricks of the cafe stood out in the night, making sadness well up in her again. A glowing yellow figure flew up to them. "Where have you been? We searched everywhere and you just kept-" Sparx was cut off by a signal from Flame, who was shaking his head frantically at the dragonfly.

Adnon ran from Cynder, jumping on Eritess. It was obvious he had been crying as well. "You left me Eri!" He whimpered as she closed her wings around him in a hug. "Don't leave me again!"

"I won't." Eritess murmured. "I promise." She clutched the only thing she had left of her old life. The only one who proved this wasn't all a bad dream.

She placed the hatchling on her back and turned to meet the concerned looks of Spyro and Cynder. "We go to Tyem." She said, forcing her voice not to shake. "Hopefully he still remembers me."

"Lead us there." Spyro said, taking a step towards her.

Eritess nodded before taking a step forward. _'Please remember me, Tyem.' _She mentally pleaded, glancing over her shoulder at the cafe. She turned her head away before the tears could well up again.

She quietly walked down the beaten street, taking a deep breath of the familiar air. She could hear the soft footsteps of the other dragons and if she listened close enough, the wing beats of Sparx. _'What will I do if he doesn't remember me?' _She wondered as Tyem's house came into view. It was made of gray stones with several windows in the sides and front. His yard was surrounded by all sorts of wildflowers, adding to the beauty.

Shakily, she walked towards the wooden door. Her and Tyem were never really close, although he had always helped her when she needed it. She honestly didn't know how he would react if he did remember her. She placed Adnon on the floor beside her. After what seemed like hours just staring at the door, she lifted a paw and knocked her talons against the wood, listening to the echoing ethereal sound.

After a few minutes, she watched as the knob turned. Her heart pounded against her ribcage so loudly, she was positive it was as loud as her knocking had been. The door peeked open, showing Tyem's light red scales. He stepped out, his purple eyes gazing as Eritess.

They just stared at each other in silence. She searched his eyes for any sign of recognition. Tyem's face suddenly broke into a relieved smile. "Eritess." He rumbled, wrapping his paws and wings around her in a hug.

"You remember!" Eritess gasped, hugging him back. "You actually remember me!"

Tyem pulled away from the hug, glancing at the dragons behind her. "Ah. The heroes." He said, smiling at them. "I presume you are the ones who got Eritess home safely. I thank you. Come in, all of you. I will explain everything I know."

Eritess scooped Adnon into her jaws and walked into the room, giving the others a smile of encouragement. One by one, they filed into the living room. Eritess realized it was rather comforting. There was a cracking fire in the fireplace with several sitting cushions surrounding it. There was a bookshelf by the window, stuffed full of books and tomes. She settled on one of the cushions, placing Adnon on it next to her and gazing silently into the fire. Cynder sat next to her, giving her a small smile of support. Flame was on Eritess's other side. Spyro and Sparx settled on the other side of Cynder.

"Tea?" Tyem asked, walking into the kitchen. He came back with several cups balanced on his tail, his maw holding a teapot. He placed a cup in front of each dragon and poured tea for them. Each dragon gave him a smile of gratitude. Then he got himself his own cup and pulled a cushion on front of the others, see he could see them all at once. "Now. Drink up and I will explain everything." He said, settling down on the cushion.

Eritess lifted the cup to her lips, relishing the minty taste. She sighed in bliss as she tasted the different herbs mixed into the drink. Tyem smiled at her before speaking again in his Italian accent. "I was visiting my dear old mother the night you disappeared, Eritess. When I had only been there a few hours, my mother told me she felt a dark magic coming from Dragon Village. I hurried back as soon as I could, but couldn't find anything different. It wasn't until the next day, I realized you were missing. Instantly I was asking around but as you've seen, nobody remembered you. I presume the dark magic my mother felt was wiping everyone's memories of you."

"Is there anyway to reverse it?" Spyro asked.

Tyem shrugged, casting a sad glance towards Eritess, who was staring into the fire in horror. Adnon was poking her with his snout, trying to get her to respond. "I dunno. I've been searching through my books but with no success."

"What about Eritess and Adnon? What will They do?" Cynder asked, also looking towards Eritess.

"They can stay with me if she would prefer." Tyem suggested. "Until this whole mess is cleared up."

All eyes trailed to the white dragoness for answers. Eritess bit her lip, not daring to meet any of the questioning looks. _'Diyeh. What do I do?' _A golden flash caught her eye and she turned to see Flame's discarded bag by his side, the corner of her book just peeking out. The shimmering gold reflected the firelight and if she looked close enough, she could make out the dancing flames. She noticed that if she peered at the reflection just right, it looked just like a dragon head.

Torritask. The golden color resembled the scales of Torritask. She could almost hear his voice of wisdom as she looked at the battered book.

_"Not every warrior starts out strong. Nor do they start out brave. They just realize that they need to stand up and the warrior inside is brought out." _

_ "Cowardice is a word devised by the wishful. Those who wish to think they can't stand up. But even the so called cowardly, can be strong when needed."_

His words echoed through her ears, blocking out the sound of her own breathing.

_"It is inevitable that there be dark times ahead. Will you be wishful? Or will you stand up?" _

"I will stand up." Eritess murmured, too quietly for the others to hear.

She lifted her head up and looked at the other dragons. "Thank you Tyem. But I can't stay." This statement got her many surprised looks. "I need to find out just what is happening. Why I was captured. Why all the creature's memories of me were erased. I can't do that here."

"Then where do you suggest to go?" Tyem asked.

Eritess pondered over the question. She wasn't really sure to be honest. "Toltarium." She finally murmured. "To talk to the elders."

"We'll take you there." Flame said, glancing at the others for agreement.

"Really?" Eritess asked. "Would you guys really want to do that?"

"Well its funner than just aimlessly wander around like we've been doing." Spyro spoke up.

Cynder smiled at the white dragoness. "You've become a friend in the short time we've been together. And we help friends the best we can."

"No matter how annoying they can be." Sparx said.

Eritess could feel the smile cracking her face. A friend? She had never really had a friend before, much less three! "You guys are the best."

"Am I coming too?" Adnon asked, gazing up at Eritess with big brown eyes.

"Of course. I promise you I wouldn't leave you behind." Eritess said, giving the hatchling a nuzzle.

Adnon was about to reply when he yawned. "I think someone is tired." Tyem said, standing up. "It has been a long day. I do not have a spare bedroom though. What do you want to do?" He swept up the now empty cups and took them back into the kitchen.

"We can just sleep here on the cushions." Flame said.

"Alright." Tyem dragged his gaze across them. "The bathroom is just down the hall. It is the redish door. Good night you all."

"Thank you Tyem." Eritess said before Tyem had completely disappeared.

"Anything for you, Eritess." Tyem said over his shoulder. She blinked when his eyes appeared to flash red for a moment before he turned and completely disappeared in his room.

Eritess turned away to see if anybody else had caught that but they were all preparing to sleep. _'Maybe its just my imagination.' _She thought, settling down on her own cushion. She draped a wing across Adnon, who was curled up next to her.

"Hey Eri?" Adnon murmured.

"Yes?"

"Can you sing a lullaby?"

She looked up, glancing at the other dragons for any signs of protest. Cynder nodded at her in encouragement. Biting her lip, Eritess looked back down at Adnon. It wasn't that she didn't want to sing. She knew she wasn't terrible. It was just the fact that she had never really sang in front of older dragons, only hatchlings. Swallowing her fear, she began softly singing.

"Be still

Let dreams flood the sky

On golden wings

The breeze outside

It sings for you

It dances with night

I may be far

I may be close

But as long as you remember me

My song will lull you to sleep

Cause where the breeze flows,

I'll be singing for you

And where the night tolls,

I'll be dreaming for you

So lets rise on golden dreams

With wings of silver seams

And fly over night and day

In a torrent of lullabies"

By the time she was finished with the song, Adnon had fallen asleep. She smiled at his sleeping form before resting her head beside him and closing her eyes, drifting off to the dream realm.

…**.**

**I can't come up with songs to save my life XD**

**Toltarium is something I came up with (Just in case you didn't know) I thought I would bring back the elders form Spyro A Hero's Tail. **

**Um... I don't think there is anything else to say...**

**Thanks for reading! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**OMIGOSH! Sorry for the long wait! Like... a week? Something like that. My internet broke and the internet dude took his time getting out to my house! But I'm back! With 2 chapters! **

**This chapter was REALLY fun to write. But I apologize if something is wrong. I haven't slept properly for 3 days. So I'm tired. **

**Reviews!**

**SilverDragon2891- Maaaaybe! Maybe not. I guess we'll see. **

**Storm Dragon Supersonic50- Thanks... I think... Not really sure what to make of that. XD Well thanks for the favorite anyways! **

…**.**

Eritess opened her eyes, gasping at the massive amount of cherry blossom trees. "I'm back here?" She wondered aloud.

With a sigh, she once more began walking towards the lake. "I couldn't just wake up in the clearing?" She asked.

As if those words were a key, the ground under her suddenly morphed and the trees and lake disappeared. For a few moments, all that was around her was shapeless silver shapes. Then they began twitching and shifting. Eritess blinked as the figure of the drooping pine came became recognizable, although it was still silver. Shapes were beginning to materialize out of the once shapeless blobs. The ground underneath her began to shift, imitating the sand. Then it was all morphed, she was in the clearing, but everything was still silver. After a few moments of just silver, the color began to drip off the figures like water. Soon, she was standing in the clearing, staring at an amused Diyeh.

"What was that?" Eritess asked, her face twisting in confusion.

"The Dream Realm heard your plea and answered it." Diyeh explained, walking towards Eritess. The white dragoness noticed with a smile that Morhin was balanced on her back, hanging onto her back fins.

"But... How?" Eritess asked.

Diyeh smiled at her. "Remember Eritess, the Dream Realm does not work like the real world. Things that are considered impossible can and will happen here."

"Then is it really a good place to train?"

"Yes. It is." Diyeh answered, signaling Eritess to follow with a wave of her tail.

Eritess walked after her, stealing one last glace at the drooping pine. "What are we going to do today?" She asked, catching up to Diyeh.

Diyeh led her to an area of wildflowers, ignoring her question. Then she pointed her tail at a purple tulip that Eritess thought was quite beautiful. "You will learn how to move and bend a plant without touching it." She finally answered Eritess's earlier question.

"Release your energy. Let it flow through the air and find that tulip. Then connect your energies together." Diyeh instructed, wrapping her tail around Morhin and placing him on the ground next to her before sitting down.

Eritess closed her eyes, having done this part several times. She pushed her magical energy out, smiling when she felt it flow through the air. With the picture of the purple tulip in her mind, she pushed her energy out further, searching for it. She could feel the energy of several different plants and see what each looked like. Finally, her energy found that of the purple tulips and she connected them.

Now she was at a part she had never done before. While she had connected to several different plants, she had not moved them before. Hesitating, she began to imagine it bending, frowning when nothing happened. Her eyes opened, seeing her white energy molding with that of the purple tulip's energy. She glanced at Diyeh, who returned her look with a determined glint in her eyes. "Do not give up." Diyeh said sternly, her brown and blue eyes hard.

Knowing better than to argue, Eritess turned back to the tulip, her energy still connected with it's. She once more closed her eyes and began to focus. Her claws dug into the soil as she concentrated, using all her mental strength to push her energy around. She felt her energy begin to push the purple tulip's around, forming it to her will. She finally stopped the connection, panting at the effort. She looked up at the purple tulip, a grin crossing her face when she saw it bent in several places, looking much like a floral lightening bolt.

"Well done!" Diyeh congratulated, grinning. Morhin gave a squeak of happiness. "Now. I want you to mold several different plants at once."

Confident at her accomplishment, Eritess turned to the group of flowers, a smirk crossing her face. She closed her eyes and pushed her energy out. She felt it connect to several of the surrounding flowers, and she could feel the flower's bewildered thoughts. Then she began pushing and prodding the plants around with her energy, her mind fixed on a certain shape. When she disconnected and opened her eyes again, she could hear the tinkling laughter of Diyeh.

In front of her was the shape of an otter. Morhin was poking it, a baffled look on his face as he squeaked. "Do you like it?" Diyeh asked him, earning a squeak in reply.

"That was easy!" Eritess exclaimed, hopping in place in her excitement.

Diyeh smiled at her. "That is because once you learn it, you can perform it effortlessly the second time. That is how magic works."

"I love how magic works!" Eritess said, earning another laugh from Diyeh.

"Now. For you next and last task for this time. I want you to bend a tree to your will. Then bend several trees as a time." Diyeh said, leading Eritess to a cluster of pine trees. Morhin stayed behind, squeaking profusely to the flower otter.

Eritess bit her lip, looking at the trees. "Is there a trick to it?" She asked, looking the tree up and down.

"Just the same as the flowers. But a tree takes more power to bend." Diyeh explained, once more sitting down to watch.

"Alright." Eritess closed her eyes and pushed her energy out into the open. She could instantly feel the difference between the flower's energy and the tree's energy. The flower's was gentle and light, feeling like only a thin piece of grass underneath her energy. The tree's energy was almost intimidating. It was rough and thick, feeling like a- well a tree.

Softly, she attached her energy to the tree's, feeling the tree grumble in protest. Then, she began pushing it, listening to the crackling of branches and the swishing of leaves. When she disconnected and opened her eyes, she saw the tree's trunk twisted from the bass to the branches. Just how she wanted it.

After taking a moment to pride in her work, Eritess closed her eyes and connected her energy to several different tree's at once. She formed them and molded them until she cracked open her eyes, seeing her white energy pushing a tree into a lightening bolt like thing. Then she disconnected, smiling at the sight of different lightening bolt shaped trees.

It was only when she began to feel drowsy and her eyes drooped when she remembered her situation in the real world. "Wait! Diyeh!" She slurred, fighting to stay awake. "Please!" To her great dismay, Diyeh only gave her a sympathetic look as Eritess faded further and further into darkness.

….

Eritess opened her eyes, sighing as she woke to see the wall of Tyem's home. Sunlight streamed through the windows, making her wonder how late it was. It took her a few minutes to gather her senses but when she did, she frowned as she realized she was the only creature in the room. Eritess stood up, listening to the sound of voices in the kitchen. With a stretch and a yawn, she dazedly walked in, blinking at the sight of the whole group surrounding the whole table, the delicious aroma of muffins drifting through the air.

"The beast awakes." Sparx's voice drifted through the kitchen and she spotted the dragonfly taking huge bites out of a blueberry muffin.

Cynder gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry for not waking you up. It was a stressful day yesterday and we figured you could use a rest."

"Thanks." Eritess smiled at the whole group before squeezing herself between Adnon and Spyro and taking a muffin for herself. "These look delicious, Tyem!" She exclaimed before taking a bite.

"It was my mother's recipe." Tyem explained, taking a bite of his own muffin.

"Your mother has amazing taste." Flame could be heard mumbling from the other side of the table.

Chuckling at the table's banter, Eritess found her eyes drawn to Spyro and Cynder. The two looked completely immersed in their own conversation. She noted the dreamy looks each held in their eyes. _'They are perfect for each other.' _Eritess thought wistfully. It was that moment she made a new goal, she would push her own worries and stresses away and focus on getting them together. They needed to stay in Dragon Village a few days anyway although she doubted Tyem would want them in his house much longer.

Her thoughts were dragged back to the duo as Cynder laughed at something Spyro said. Eritess felt a sense of longing within her as she stared at the two. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted a relationship like that. She wanted someone by her side, as more than a friend. She frantically pushed those thoughts out of her mind before they could get any further.

_'Focus on the muffin.' _She burst out laughing a few seconds after that thought, realizing just how serious she sounded thinking that. This earned her several questioning looks.

"Care to explain what's so funny." Sparx asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Eritess shook it off with a paw. "Inside joke." _'Literally.' _The attention switched off of her, giving her a few moments to collect herself.

"Hey Tyem." Spyro began, pulling his attention off of Cynder. "I hate to ask this, after all you've done for us but... Would you mind if we stayed here a few more days? Its fine if you say no, we can arrange other plans."

Tyem nodded, casting a glance at Eritess. She could have sworn for a second there, his eyes once more flashed red. "It is fine by me." He said, breaking the gaze. Flame was scowling beside him. "Stay as long as you want!"

"Thank you." Spyro said, obviously relived.

_'Why are his eyes flashing red?' _Eritess wondered, dragging her thoughts away from the conversation. _'It has to be my imagination. It just has to be.' _So many weird things have been happening to her, she wasn't sure just what was real and what wasn't.

Thinking about her situation brought her thoughts back to Mosk. How she missed the brown dragoness. She wanted so much to run to her old home and wrap Mosk in a hug. But she was pretty sure that would get her in trouble with Mosk and that was the last thing she needed.

_'But why did she forget me?' _Eritess wondered, finishing off her muffin.

"Eritess." Flame said, forcing her back to reality.

"Huh?" Eritess shook her head, trying to rid her of her depressing thoughts.

"I need to talk to you. Privately." The dragon tilted his head towards the living room for emphasis.

Nodding, Eritess stood up from her seat and walked back into the cushion filled room. "Look." Flame began. "We don't need to stay here a few more days, Spyro is perfectly willing to go to Toltarium as soon as possible, given the circumstances and I've explained to Sparx that we might have to put Mission Oblivious on hold-"

"No." Eritess interrupted. "We can stay here a few days. You guys need the break. Mission Oblivious still stands, I can take you to the library today to look for it. You guys have put up with my problems long enough. Take a break!"

Flame briefly looked surprised at her outburst before it was replaced with a cheeky grin. "Alright! I'll tell Spyro later. Once he can take his googly eyes off Cynder of course."

"That will be fixed quite quickly if things go as planned." Eritess said, smirking mischievously.

"Why yes of course." Flame piped in a British accent, leading her back into the kitchen.

They sat down in their places again, exchanging sly glances with Sparx. "So. Eritess is going to show me and Sparx the library today." Flame said nonchalantly, reaching out and claiming another muffin.

Spyro almost spat his drink on the table in his surprise. "You? In a library? Who are you? Where is Flame?"

Flame rolled his eyes. "Eritess needs to get some extra books and asked me to go with her. Sparx just tags along where he isn't wanted." The last sentence sent Sparx into a glare contest with Flame, ending in Flame winning with his 'bone bender glare' as he called it.

"I could go with her." Cynder offered, looking confused at the white dragoness.

Eritess could feel herself panicking as she tried to come up with an excuse. "Well... Flame also needed help understanding the legends with Torritask. So I'm forcing him to come along for some history books." Flame gave her approving wink.

"Oh..." Cynder switched her gazes between the two dragons. While she tried not to show it, Eritess could see doubt lingering in her emerald eyes.

"It would be a great chance for you and Spyro to hang out for a while!" Sparx said, hovering over Flame.

The two looked at each other in the awkward silence that followed. "Yes. Well." Eritess stammered, scooping Adnon up and placing him on her back. "We should probably be going, before the majority of the village gets to the library. Thank you again Tyem for doing this and we'll see you two later!" With that, the four darted out of the room, leaving the remaining three to exchange baffled looks.

"Whew. Close one." Eritess sighed, walking out onto the streets.

"Are we really going to learn about Torritask?" Adnon spoke for the first time that morning.

"No." Eritess said, casting a sad glance in the direction of the cafe. "We are starting Mission Oblivious."

"We need code names!" Adnon exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Code names, huh?" Flame said thoughtfully. "What names do you suggest?"

"Well..." Adnon looked at the group in turn. "Ducky!" He said pointing at Sparx. "Poly." He then pointed at Flame. "Chicken." He tapped Eritess on the back. "And I'm Terror!" He had a triumphant smile on his face.

"How did you come up with those?" Sparx asked, apparently not liking his code name.

Adnon huffed. "You are yellow like a rubber duck. You remind me of a Roly Poly. And Eritess likes Chicken!" Eritess giggled at his explanation.

"Do I have to be Ducky?" Sparx whined as they neared the library.

"Quit your quacking, Ducky." Flame said upon entering the library. "We got things to do."

Grumbling, Sparx flew off. "Look for the book Oblivious Love." Eritess reminded Flame before walking off, letting Adnon walk next to her.

"Good luck, Chicken." Flame snickered before walking off.

"Be careful not to roll up in a ball! They might mistake you for an overgrown insect!" Eritess retorted over her shoulder, grinning as he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Lets get down to business." She murmured to Adnon, beginning to read book titles.

…**.**

**Those are the kind of Code Names I used to come up with when I was a kid. XD My shih tzu dog was titled 'Fruitie' on our missions cause she reminded me of a mango. I dunno how. **

**What is up with Tyem? **

**Mission Oblivious is under way! Let the Mischief Begin! Mwahaha! **

**Thanks for Reading! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright, I'll be getting chapters out pretty quickly because my internet has been down for a while, which means I'm unable to post chapter. But I'm still writing so if I upload about... 3 chapters at a time, it isn't because I rushed them, its because my internet sucks!**

…**.**

"Aw!" Eritess cooed, holding the book up to her face. "That is so romantic!"

The group was currently sitting in the back of the library, lounging on fluffy cushions. Each member except for Terror, were reading a copy of Oblivious Love. Terror was currently living up to his code name, intimidating a coloring page the library offered with several different colored crayons.

"What idea are you at?" Flame asked, leaning over his cushion to see over her shoulder.

"Idea number 96. Take them to a romantic setting with their destined partner and sneak off. Then it has a picture of two pandas and-"

"Bah! You're such a girl!" Flame snorted, settling back on his cushion.

"Where would we be without you, Captain Obvious?" Eritess mumbled, turning the page.

Flame didn't answer her, making her feel a sense of victory. She read through the next idea. _'Jealousy huh? Nah. I don't think any of us want an angry purple dragon on our tails.' _She flipped the next page. Number 98.

"Aw!" Eritess exclaimed for the thousandth time that day.

"Now what?" Flame asked, not even bothering to look up from his own copy.

"Set up a picnic in an excluded spot then lure the love doves there. Ditch them as soon as possible and watch as love unfolds." Eritess sighed, wishing something like this could happen to her. "Its just so romantic!"

"That might work in Toltarium." Flame said thoughtfully, finally tearing his sea blue eyes from the book. "There are lots of beautiful scenery there."

"Then we'll wait till we reach Toltarium for that idea." Sparx said, he was perched on a small cushion on the shelves behind them.

Sighing, Flame let the book fall from his face. "Most of these ideas are just the same idea with different settings."

"How so?" Eritess asked, placing her own book on the ground.

"Well. Take number 96 and 98. They are both about luring the love-stuck morons into some situation they have no idea about and running off before they realize what's going on."

Eritess grabbed her book and flipped through the pages. "You're right." She said finally. "But there is always idea number 247. Fake one of the lover's handwriting and write a love letter to the other."

"We'll use that as a last resort." Sparx decided, placing his book aside as well.

"What are we going to do first?" Eritess asked, flopping back on her cushion.

Flame got a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Well... We are staying here for about 3 days so why don't we-"

…**.**

**Step 1- Simple Encounters: See if there are any hidden feelings.**

"Hey Cynder!" Eritess called, dragging the black dragoness's attention from the book she had been reading. "Come here!" Spyro sat in between the two dragonesses, talking to Flame.

Cynder complied, pushing her book away from her and walking towards the dragoness. Eritess used her energy and began pushing a root up right in front of Cynder's paw. Predictably, the dragoness stumbled and Spyro just barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Blushing, he helped her stand back up.

"Thanks." Cynder stuttered before rushing over to Eritess, her face flushed.

…**.**

"This is one of the best restaurants in town!" Eritess exclaimed, leading them inside. "It has foods from all different cultures!"

"It certainly smells delicious!" Spyro said, making Cynder give a small laugh from beside him.

"Would you like a table?" The satyr waiter asked in a horrible fake french accent. Eritess almost burst out laughing that instant.

"Yes. Yes we would." Flame said, obviously suppressing his own laughter.

"Right this way." The waiter led them to a table off to the furthest side, keeping them away from staring eyes.

"Can I get you your drinks?" The waiter asked, pulling out a list.

"All water." Flame said, handing the menus out.

The waiter nodded. "Alright. I will be back in a moment." With that, he walked away.

"Just a moment." Sparx said, imitating the waiters bad accent. The whole table burst out laughing.

"Alright. Tell me what you guys would like and I'll order it, since I'm the official ordering dragon." Flame said, looking over his own menu.

"I'll have the spaghetti." Tyem said, placing his own menu down.

"But Tyem. You told me you hate spaghetti." Eritess said, confused. "Remember?"

"Oh! I um... Changed my mind." Tyem stuttered, before his composition returned. He fixed Eritess a harsh glare, making her blink in surprise. A small growl came from Flame's direction.

"Yes. Well." Eritess chuckled awkwardly before grabbing her own menu and opening it where Adnon could see. "What do you want?"

Adnon looked thoughtfully over all the pictures. "I want that!" He said, pointing at the picture of Ratatouille.

"Are you sure?" Eritess asked. "That dish has no meat in it."

"I'm sure!" Adnon confirmed, giving her a toothy smile.

"Alright." Eritess said, taking the menu back.

"I'll have the grilled chicken salad." Cynder said, placing her menu on top of Tyem's.

"Roasted butterflies for me." Sparx said, making the whole table give him a strange look, which he pointedly ignored.

"I'll take the steak." Spyro said.

"I guess I'm last." Eritess said as the whole group turned to her. "I'll just have the Chicken Alfredo."

"What are you having Flame?" Adnon asked.

"A hambaga." Flame said in his own fake french accent.

The waiter came back with their drinks and they ordered their food. "Don't eat too much!" Eritess said as their food arrived. "You still need to try the flan!"

Adnon took a bite bite of his Ratatouille, an expecting smile on his face. His smile turned into a frown as he chewed it. He made faces of disgust while he swallowed. "That was gross!" He complained.

Laughing, Eritess pushed her plate nearer to him. "I told you." She giggled. "Take some Alfredo."

Once the meal was finished and the flan had arrived, the agents exchanged looks. "I have to go to the bathroom." Adnon whined, shaking in place.

"I'll take him." Flame said, scooping the hatchling up and walking away.

"Tyem! I have to show you something!" Eritess said, waving the light red dragon over before walking off.

Sparx fluttered after them, leaving Cynder and Spyro alone. As soon as they were out of sight, the trio ducked behind a short wall. "What are we doing?" Tyem asked, seeing Flame and Adnon behind the wall as well.

"Matchmaking." Eritess whispered.

The two sat in awkward silence, not knowing what to do. Hesitantly, Cynder took a bite of the flan. "Its delicious." She murmured.

Spyro tried a bite before smiling. "It is really good!" He said.

After an awkward pause, Spyro sighed. "Listen Cynder. There's something I've been wanting to tell you."

Excitement drifted amongst the group as they watched the two dragons. Spyro blushed while speaking. "I'm just going to come out and say it. I-"

"MOM! IT'S SPYRO AND CYNDER!" A voice shrieked, cutting Spyro off.

A little gemcutter mouse ran up to the two. "I love you two! Can I have your autograph? PLEASE?"

"Sure!" Cynder smiled at the young mouse. When the paper was signed, she waltzed off, shrieking. "What were you going to say?" Cynder asked, turning back to Spyro.

"I- uh- really like this flan!" Spyro stammered, taking another bite.

Eritess groaned. "Mission failed."

…**.**

Eritess pulled away from the laughing dragons. "I'm going to take a walk." She murmured to Cynder before walking out of the door. Only when the door was shut and she was safe from prying eyes, did she let her mask fall.

Dejectedly, she walked out of the yard, stealing glances up at the star studded sky. A crescent moon hung, looking just as depressed as she felt. Her feet automatically began moving towards her home, the home where she had been forgotten.

The red hued stones that made her home stood out in the night, a single light from the living room shining out into the night. Eritess sat far away from the light, sadly watching the brown dragoness inside. Mosk was reading, although which book, Eritess couldn't see.

"I want you back Mosk." She sobbed, letting the tears that she had been holding back fall. "Please remember me." Mosk couldn't hear her. Even if she could, Eritess doubted she would listen.

She felt alone. Utterly alone. _'Is this the adventure I had been wishing for, for so long?' _She wondered, dragging her gaze off Mosk and onto her paws. _'Cause if it is, I wish I could just go back to my normal life.' _

"Eritess?"

"Flame!" Eritess said, quickly wiping her tears away. She greeted him with a forced smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Cynder told me about you running off. She figured you would like some company." Flame explained, glancing at Mosk inside the house. An understanding look crossed his face.

"I was just..." Eritess tried to explain, looking for an excuse. "I was just on a walk and decided to stop by here. Just in case Mosk had remembered me..."

Flame gave a 'hmm' of acknowledgment before sitting next to her. "Mission Oblivious is going well!" Eritess said in a cheery tone.

"Lets not talk about Mission Oblivious." Flame said. "This isn't about Spyro and Cynder."

Eritess sighed, shuffling her paws. "I'm sorry." She murmured, almost too quiet for him to hear.

"Why are you sorry?" Flame asked.

"I'm being emotional and ruining everything."

"You aren't ruining anything! I'm impressed you can push aside your own feelings to help Spyro and Cynder! You're doing more than enough! This is rough on you and yet you are still able to put a smile on your face and make others laugh!" Flame exclaimed, an angry note in his voice. "Quit acting like you're ruining everything!"

"Okay." Eritess whispered, looking back up at Mosk.

They sat in silence, each pondering what to say. Flame spoke up. "Things will get better. The Elders will know how to fix this. I'm sure of it."

"Lets hope so." Eritess murmured, feeling the tears well up again. She rubbed her eyes with a paw. "Lets go back to Tyem's." She suggested, standing up.

"Alright." Flame stood up with her and led her away, casting her concerned glances. Eritess took one last look over her shoulder before walking off.

…**.**

"We only have 1 more full day in Dragon Village!" Sparx said, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. "What are we going to do?"

"Ducky has a point." Eritess said, looking at the others.

"I know!" Adnon exclaimed, holding his paw up. "Food fight!"

"That, Terror, is under step 3." Flame said, his lips pursed in thought. "We need to do at least one more thing under step 1 before moving on."

The group fell under silence, each deep in their own thoughts. "I know!" Eritess exclaimed.

"The Chicken squawks." Flame said, snickering with Sparx.

"Very funny." Eritess said, rolling her eyes.

…**.**

"Hey Cynder." Eritess whispered, pointing to a book. "Can you please get that for me, since you're closer and everything?" The ground was back in the library, reading their book of choice. Adnon was leaning against her, fast asleep.

Cynder smiled at her. "Sure." She walked over to the book, missing the fact that Spyro was also walking over there, with a smirking Flame behind him.

Spyro reached for the book the same second Cynder did, their paws touching. They both pulled back as if they had been burned, their faces flushed. "You can-" Spyro started.

"No you can." Cynder interrupted, looking down at her paws.

"No. Here." Spyro said, pushing the book towards her. "Flame can read another."

With pink tinging her cheeks, Cynder thanked him, grabbed the book, and ran back over to Eritess. "Thanks!" Eritess said, gently taking the book from her trembling paws.

She looked up when she got no reply to see Cynder staring at Spyro's retreating back, the pink deepening. "I got the book and you didn't!" She mouthed to Flame, sticking her tongue out at him.

Flame glared at her but was unable to do more based on the fact that Spyro was looking at him. Grinning victoriously, Eritess opened the book and began reading. _'Step 2 is about to commence' _

…**.**

**Omigosh, I love the Pink Panther. XD If you watched it, you'll get what Flame was saying. **

**I can't think of anything else that needs explained...**

**Thanks for reading! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the long wait. I haven't had much inspiration to continue this story. I don't think its that good at all -_- I'll continue to write it though, cause I know how irritating it is when someone discontinues their story :)**

**Reviews!-  
Silverdragon2891- Gah. I hate escapee typos. XD  
Thank you!**

**Wuffser- Thank you for the feedback and the tips! :D**

**I'll work on describing more. Its always been one of my biggest problems. **

Tyem walked up to Eritess, making sure to avoid the sleeping dragons. "Hey Eritess." He whispered once he reached her. "I have something to show you."

Eritess lifted her head from her legend book, gazing up at the red dragon. "Are you sure? This early in the morning?" It had been two days since they first reached Dragon Village. They were planning on leaving later tonight.

Tyem nodded. "Think of it as a good-bye present." He said, waving his tail for her to follow.

Sighing, Eritess stood up, careful not to jostle Adnon and walked after him. "Where are we going?" She asked once she reached his side.

"You'll see!" He hummed happily, a smile on his face as he threw a bag over his neck.

Smiling at his enthusiasm, Eritess walked out of the house. "Will we be back before the others wake up?"

"We should be." He rumbled and she saw another flash of red in his eyes.

He led her though Dragon Village and further out into the country side. Eritess began to get nervous as the last of the buildings in Dragon Village disappeared from view. "I think we are going to far." Eritess said, starting to back up.

"You're right." Tyem said. "This is far enough." He turned to Eritess with a strange look in his eyes.

Eritess continued to back up, fear beginning to prickle her spine. "Tyem... Are you okay?" She asked.

"Oh Eritess." Tyem chuckled. "You should be worrying about yourself." He threw his bag on the ground and lunged at her, swiping at her with his claws.

Screaming, Eritess ducked under it, feeling his sharp claws graze her mane. "Tyem! What are you doing?" She shrieked, dodging a swipe from his tail.

"You're a fool Eritess!" Tyem roared, his eyes now completely red. "You saw all the signs, yet you did nothing." He succeeded in hitting her with his tail, cutting open her shoulder.

Tears fell down her cheeks at the pain. She didn't see the shadow ball heading towards her and it hit her on her hind leg. Tyem reached into his bag and pulled out a black crystal. "Just one drop of blood." He sneered, walking towards her.

_"FLEE!" _A voice rang through her mind and she recognized it as Diyeh. _"GET BACK TO THE OTHERS!"_

Eritess shoved herself off of the ground, whimpering at the pain in her hind leg. She could hear the growling and snarling of Tyem as he pushed off the ground and went after her. A shadow ball whooshed by her head, making her scream in surprise. Why was Tyem welding the shadow element?

She dived down, her eyes fixed on the trees. She didn't know what exactly was wrong with Tyem but she knew one thing, it wasn't him attacking her. And whoever this dragon was, needed to be stopped.

Her energy flew through the air, connecting to several of the surrounding trees. She began frantically pushing them around, branched wrapping around Tyem's legs and wings. Just when she thought she had him captured, his whole body burst into black, burning the branches.

Pain flooded through her limbs as she listened to the tree's screams. She disconnected her energy just in time to dodge a swipe from Tyem. Plant element was not going to help her here. She threw herself forward, trying to think of a new plan in her panicked state.

She didn't know how to fight! She had only read about fighting in her legend book. _'Go to town!' _Was the only idea she could come up with.

Another shadow ball flew by her head, but instead of extinguishing once it passed her, it turned and began to chase her again. With a strangled shriek, Eritess dodged under the shadow ball once more and it soared over her head. She flew forward as fast as she could, not daring to see how close the ball was.

The houses of Dragon Village came into sight, making a sense of relief flood through her. The relief soon turned into terror when she saw inhabitants on the streets, looking up at the dragons and screaming. With a gristly grin at Eritess, Tyem turned and dived down on a defenseless faun, claws drawn to kill.

Eritess grabbed his tail with her teeth, pulling him back with all her strength. Tyem whirled around, striking her face with his claws. Yelping, she let go, holding a paw up to her bleeding cheek.

Tyem chuckled, watching Eritess softly cry at the pain. The red on his scales began to melt off, exposing dark gray scales underneath. The spines on his back morphed into spikes. The two horns that had been on his head distorted into two points, making it seem like he had four horns. His eyes remained a bright red.

The dragon rumbled, his voice deep. A smirk appeared on his face, giving her the chills. "You are alone. You have always been alone. Your so called friends are asleep, while you fight for your life." He chuckled. "They'll get to hear about your death from one of these useless creatures. How does it feel? To know you are going to pass on, without one here to cry for you? Not even your precious Mosk will shed a tear."

His words struck deep, making her insides painfully twinge. _'Don't listen to him!'_ She told herself, shaking her head to get rid of the pain. With a deep breath, she lunged at the dragon, throwing him to the ground. He grabbed her leg in his teeth, dragging her to the ground with him. He then pinned her under him, a twisted grin still on his face.

She kicked out at his hind leg, making him stumble. Then she threw her hind legs on his chest, throwing him off of her. She rolled along the ground, jumping up once her paws hit the ground. She didn't even have time to think as he jumped up and blew a cloud of shadow towards her.

The dragon continued his onslaught as she dodged the shadow, throwing shadow spike after shadow spike at her. Eritess ran along the walls, spikes digging into the stone behind her. She jumped in the air, a spike narrowly missing her tail. She barely registered the fact that there were all sorts of creatures gazing out windows and ducking behind objects as the dragons fought, their eyes wide.

Eritess connected her energy to a nearby vine as she dodged the spikes. Under her command, the vine wrapped around the gray dragon's leg and pulled, bringing him to the ground. The spikes stopped as he wrenched his paw away from the vine, snarling.

This gave Eritess plenty of time to throw herself back on the ground and run. She could hear the dragon screaming curses at her and hear the pounding of his feet as he charged after her. A shadow wrapped around her foot, making her stumble roughly and lose her balance. The shadow enveloping her foot hardened, forming into black rope. More shadows shot from the ground, wrapping around her legs.

The dragon walked up to her, a smirk on his face. Eritess tried vainly to pull her legs free from the shadow's grasp, but to no avail. She could only watch in horror as the dragon came closer. Her heart pounded against her chest, so loudly she was sure he could hear it. He held the black crystal in his paw, smiling victoriously.

He loomed over her, the sharp point of the crystal aimed down at her. She froze, her eyes wide with fear. Just when the dragon was about to plunge the crystal into her, a silver flame ball shot out, knocking him back. A flash of red shot by her, it's tail splitting the black ropes that intertwined her.

She watched with a mixture of horror and awe as Flame launched himself into the fray, breaking the black crystal with a single sweep of his paw. The gray dragon hissed in anger, striking out at Flame with his spike studded tail blade. Flame neatly ducked under it, waiting for it to pass over his head until he charged forward, headbutting the dragon in the shoulder. Falling back, the dragon lifted a paw and brought it down on Flame's neck.

Flame didn't even pause, he blew an enormous cloud of silver fire at the dragon, engulfing him. The dragon was thrown back, hitting the stone wall of a building. Eritess winced at the crack that followed and the dragon's shriek of pain.

Breathing heavily, the dragon looked up, his front leg now hung at an odd angle and he was burned in several places. "Next time we meet, Eritess, There will be no one there to protect you. I'll kill you!" He snarled before launching himself in the air and flying off, leaving the broken shards of his crystal.

Eritess could barely hear the clapping and cheering of the surrounding creatures. She could only focus on Flame, who lifted a paw to his neck and examined the blood that stuck to his paw. "You're hurt." She finally managed to blurt out amidst her shock.

To her surprise, Flame chuckled. It wasn't cold or terrifying like the gray dragon's had been. It was warm and kind, making her relax a bit at the sound. "We're both hurt." He said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "A red crystal should work for the both of us."

"How did you know what was happening? Where are the others?" Eritess asked, standing up and taking a step towards him. "Are they okay? Is anyone else hurt?"

Flame held up a wing, stopping her rambling. "They're fine. Probably just waking up really. I saw Tyem's eyes flash red several times and I was instantly suspicious. I was awake when he asked you to go with him, so I followed you. I lost you on the way though and when I found you again... you know. Now lets go get a crystal and explain to Spyro that we will be leaving early."

"But what about the real Tyem?" Eritess asked, taking a small step forward.

"I don't know." Flame said. Although he tried to hide it, she could hear the undertone of worry in his voice. "Anything could have happened to him."

"Anything?" Eritess could see all the possibilities happening. Tyem could be dead. He could be tortured as they speak. He could be a prisoner somewhere, slowly starving to death.

"We should go look for him." She said, slowing down her pace to gaze around at the city as if Tyem would just appear in front of her.

"We can't." Flame said, urging her forward with a wing. "We don't know who else is impersonating someone, we could very well run into another one before we get to Tyem's house. No. We need to get to the Elders. And soon."

The darkness of her situation finally hit her and she felt her legs trembling under her weight. "What if... What if Mosk was being impersonated?"

"There's nothing we can do about that now." Flame said, trying to get her to speed up again. "We need to leave."

"No!" Eritess protested, backing out of his grip. "We need to check on Mosk!"

"We can't! We need to leave!" Flame snapped, his anger rising. "Mosk can take care of herself!"

Eritess winced as the anger in his voice seeped through. "She's my only family." She murmured, looking down at her paws.

All was silent for a few moments, making Eritess wonder what happened. Curiously, she gazed up to see Flame gazing around the buildings. "Alright." He sighed. "We'll check on her, but make it quick."

"Thank you." Eritess said, forcing a small smile on her face. She spread her wings and swooped into the air, worry making the pain in her shoulder disappear. The breeze blew her mane back from her eyes and her eyes could clearly be seen glistening with unshed tears.

She hoped with all her heart that Mosk was okay. If she wasn't, she didn't know what she would do. In all honesty, she would rather Mosk never remember her than to have Mosk be killed. The stone house entered her vision, giving speed to her wings.

_'Please be okay.' _

She dived down on the house, wincing as her hind leg hit the ground hard. Slowly, she walked up to the wooden door, almost fearing to touch it. Hesitantly, she lifted her paw and rapped on the door, listening to the familiar wooden knocks.

The hinges creaked as a brown head poked itself out of the slit make by the door. "You again?" Mosk's exasperated voice hit her ears. "What do you want?" She asked, leaning her head out of the door.

"Hello Mam." Flame greeted politely. "We just wanted to... uh... We were assigned to check on the inhabitants. There has been a breach of security in Dragon Village and we need to make sure there are no more imposters."

"Imposters?" Mosk questioned, her eyes finally seeming to find their injuries. "You two are hurt. Wait a second and I'll get you a crystal." She disappeared before reappearing a second later, two small red crystals in her paw. She passed them out, her gaze locking on Eritess's.

Eritess peered into those eyes, looking for anything other than annoyance and concern. Relief hit her when there was none. A big genuine smile crossed her face as she absorbed the energies power. "Thank you for your time." She said, dipping her head politely to the brown dragoness before turning to Flame.

Flame nodded. "Good day and thank you for the crystals!" He said spreading his wings and lifting off into flight, Eritess close behind him.

"All better?" He asked, seeing the grin still on her face.

"Much."

…**.**

**Finally figured out what was Tyem's problem! :D **

**Again, I'll try to continue this story even though I no longer like it :) **

**Thank you for reading! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Here is the next chapter! It took me a while to type but I'm still going to do it! :D**

**Reviews!-**

**Storm Dragon Eclipse- Have you seen Pink Panther the movie? The first one. In it, French Detective Clueso (Not sure how to spell it XD) Is trying to pronounce hamburger but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't. **

**Thank you!**

**SilverDragon2891- Nah, I'm not going to quit. I've given up on quite a few things in my lifetime and I need to teach myself to work on it, even if I'm not quite into it. I still enjoy writing it, I'm just doing more things on top of it :) But thank you!**

…**..**

Eritess wasn't exactly sure what was happening. One minute Tyem was good. Next minute Tyem was evil. Third minute Tyem wasn't Tyem but a different dragon impersonating Tyem.

Now she was literally fleeing for her life.

She and Flame had made sure that Mosk was okay and to Eritess's great relief, Mosk was fine. Then they had gone back to Tyem's house and aroused the others, swiftly explaining what happened. Now everyone was on alert as they flew out of the city. Nobody was trusted.

Adnon was on her back, clutching to her mane with both paws. He had no idea what was happening, his mouth opened in a big smile as the breeze blew by them. She found herself longing for that ignorance, completely oblivious to the evil surrounding them.

But that was not to be granted. She couldn't remain oblivious. Not if she wanted to survive.

Tyem or whoever that dragon was, wanted her blood on that crystal for some reason she was positive wasn't good. She was sure she could safely assume that the dragon was working for Rinturc and Montur.

She gazed at the others in turn, her guilt increasing. She had brought them into this mess. They were just trying to regain their lives after defeating the Dark Master and she had to come along and destroy it. She was placing them all in danger once again in their short lives.

Her paw draped over the bag around her neck that she had 'borrowed' from Tyem's house. The legend book was safely tucked in the bag, giving her comfort as she felt it.

_'What would Mom do?' _She wondered, wishing she knew the answer. She had never known her mother. She didn't even know what she looked like.

_'What would Mosk do?' _Was her next question as her mind drifted back to the brown dragoness.

_'Mosk would fight to protect those she cares about.'_

Her paws clenched as her eyes closed. _'Why can't I be brave?' _She felt unshed tears prickling at her closed eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Eritess turned to see Cynder flying next to her, a look of concern on her face. She wasn't quite sure what to say. Of course she wasn't okay! Everything in her life seemed to be tearing apart!

"I.. I'm fine." She finally blurted.

Doubt was clear on all of the obsidian dragon's features but before she could reply, Eritess had flown to the side, out of talking reach. _'I should just leave.' _

She was sorely tempted to do just that as she gazed down at the thick treetops beneath them. But something held her back. If she went off on her own she knew she would be killed before the week ended.

_'Is that an excuse to place them in danger as well?' _A small voice in her head spoke, making her wince.

The scenery underneath her changed as the trees cut off to a big lake. Big gray stones peeked out of the water, giving it a regal appearance. Against the rippling waves and glistening sun, she could barely make out the white shape that was her. As she sadly gazed down at the white and green shape, a blob of dark red popped out from one corner. She turned her head to see Adnon looking over her shoulder, grinning down at the water.

He looked up, his brown eyes locking with Eritess's silver ones. His grin increased and his eyes glistened with pure joy. "When I learn to fly, I'm going to fly above this lake just to see how I would look if I was a sponge."

Eritess burst out laughing at the absurdness of his statement. Her recent adventure and all the stress she felt seemed to evaporate as Adnon's chortles resided behind her. Eritess flew down to the water surface, just able to make out the gray in her eyes. She trailed her paw in the water, spraying it everywhere as she flew, making sure some of it landed on her back. She kept a close eye on the bag, making sure to shield it from the water. It was supposed to be waterproof but she would rather not test it.

Adnon's giggles and squeals of delight sounded over the sound of the rushing water, making her laugh along with him. She dipped her wingtips into the water and flung them up, sending water towards the rest of the dragons.

They stood no chance. There were shouts of surprise as their undersides were suddenly coated in cold water. Sparx pelted upwards out of reach as Cynder retaliated by diving into the water next to them, showering them with cold water. Spyro blew a ball of water towards her but Eritess dodged it and it hit Cynder instead. Eritess placed her bag on one of the stone hanging out of the water then rejoined the fight, Adnon commanding her where to go.

"Cynder is heading towards your back!" Adnon warned.

Eritess stuck her paws in the water and flung the water back, grinning at the sound of Cynder laughing behind her.

Flame hovered above the water, a scowl on his face. "What's your problem, grumpypants?" Spyro asked, flicking water towards him with his tail.

"I don't like to get wet." Flame mumbled, dragging a paw down his wet chest plates for emphasis.

It was like a chain reaction. Flame gets wet. Flame dislikes getting wet. Flame tells the others about his feelings. Flame gets a huge wave sent towards him that completely soaks him.

"Guys!" Flame complained, his voice full of annoyance.

"Oh lighten up!" Cynder said, sticking her tongue out at the red dragon.

"Fire dragon's don't like to get wet because we hate water! Fire and water don't mix!"

"Neither do water and Roly Polys." Eritess giggled. Sparx snickered behind her as Flame shot her a death glare. Spyro and Cynder exchanged confused glances.

"Lets just go." Flame grumbled, not in the mood to fight.

Laughing quietly to herself, Eritess flew over to the rock and slung her bag over her shoulder. She secured the straps and after checking on Adnon, began flying forward again.

She didn't know when they would get to Toltarium. But she hoped that when they got there, she would finally get the answers she was seeking.

….

They had been flying for hours, only stopping for short food breaks. Now they were on a stony cliff, almost no plants around. Eritess felt bare without the familiar presence of a tree around. A dark storm loomed overhead, pouring rain over their backs.

"Lets make camp here." Spyro suggested, landing on the rough stone ground.

Eritess gently placed Adnon on the ground before landing. When the storm had started, Adnon had started having trouble clinging on so Eritess had carried him in her paws, blocking most of the rain for him. She gratefully rested her sore wings against her sides, as she looked around the empty place.

"Where would camp be?" Cynder asked, just as confused as Eritess was.

Spyro pointed downwards and they looked to the ground. There was a small tunnel entrance poking out of the ground, promising a dry place. "You want to investigate?"

Cynder nodded, being the stealthy one. She snuck to the entrance and peeked in. Then, she slowly clambered into the hole, every muscle tense for action. After a few minutes of her being completely gone, her head poked up. "Its safe!" She chirped, diving back down underground.

Flame all too willingly followed, completely ready to get out of the rain. Sparx entered next, illuminating the dark tunnel for them to see. Eritess nudged Adnon in the tunnel but did not enter herself.

"I'm going to take a walk." Eritess said to Spyro, turning and walking off when he just nodded, a confused expression in his eyes.

The minute she was out of sight, the tears she had been holding back began to fall. It was all crashing down on her; the kidnapping, the hostage holding, the forgetting, the betrayal. She just wanted it all to be over, to be a bad dream. But as she scuffed a foot across the stony ground, she knew, this was real life.

Sighing, she slumped against the ground, peering over the edge of the cliff. A lightening bolt illuminated overhead, giving her a brief glimpse of the cluttered pine trees below. Her mane was completely stuck to her figure, giving her a deflated look.

Another lightening bolt. She looked up, staring at its electric patterns across the sky. Lightening bolt after lightening bolt danced across the stormy sky, their actions brief and entrancing. The longer she stared, the slower the lightening bolts seemed to become, till she was able to see every detail before the bolt faded away. While she was unaware of it, a small smile was playing at her lips, increasing with each lightening bolt.

She could no longer feel the rain, like it had faded into oblivion. She could still see it dropping past her eyes as she looked up at the sky, but it seemed to swerve to avoid her scales.

"Oi! Eritess! Get in the tunnel before a lightening bolt strikes you and burns you to a scaly crisp!"

The grumpy voice broke her out of her trance. Suddenly, the lightening bolts seemed a lot faster, back to normal speed. With a sigh of exasperation, she turned, not terribly surprised to see a scowling red dragon behind her.

"I'll be fine! You go back to the tunnel!" She had to shout to be heard over the storm.

She could see him roll his eyes as he continued to walk towards her. "And have Spyro bite my head off? Hes the one who sent me here! You've been gone for an hour now."

"An hour?" Eritess exclaimed, surprised. "It feels like only a few minutes!"

"Yea, well its not." Flame huffed.

"Can't you tell him I'm fine and would prefer to stay outside?" Eritess asked, reluctant to leave.

Flame studied her for a minute, the annoyance momentarily gone from his features. A lightening bolt flashed over head and the annoyance returned. "Why do you want to stay out here anyway?"

"Its so beautiful out here. And unlike you, I actually enjoy getting wet."

The red dragon rolled his eyes again before sitting down, making a face as his haunches touched the wet stone. "Why do you hate getting wet so much? I know part of it is because you are a fire dragon but all the fire dragons I've known don't hate it to such an extent." Eritess asked, beginning to regret her decision as Flame's blue eyes clouded with grief and he looked at his paws.

"That's for me to know and you to find out when I feel like telling you!" He finally snapped.

Wincing at the angry tone in his voice, Eritess turned her head away, looking at the storm instead.

"My mother." Flame finally sighed, making Eritess turn her head back, a tint of confusion in her silver eyes. "One day, when I was just a young hatchling, we were swimming; my mother, my father, and I. I'm not sure what happened. One minute we were having a great time, the next minute, her eyes were wide open with agony and she began sinking."

"I tried to help her, to pull her to the surface but nothing I did seemed to work. That's when I saw this ginormous tentacle pulling her down by her tail. I tried! I scratched at it. I bit at it. My father was trying even harder, using all his strength to try to destroy the tentacle or pull her out of it's grasp. But nothing worked. Eventually, my mother disappeared in the lake's depths where we could not reach. The last thing we saw of her, was the blood floating to the surface."

Eritess's eyes opened wide with horror and sympathy. Flame was looking at his paws, refusing to meet her gaze. She could tell, even in the midst of a storm, he was trying not to cry. Hesitantly, she placed her wing in a comforting gesture over his back, quite surprised when he didn't shove it off.

She didn't know what to say. What could she say? What had happened to him was awful, nothing like she had ever experienced.

"I'm sorry." She finally blurted, turning her gaze to her paws. _'That was a stupid thing to say.' _

"Don't be." Flame chuckled humorlessly. "I'm the one who suggest to go swimming."

"You can't be blaming yourself for what happened!"

Flame turned to her, his eyes alight with anger. "I'm the one who begged them to go swimming! My mother, she didn't want to and yet she went. If I had just listened to her the first time, she would still be alive!"

"You are ridiculous!" Eritess exclaimed in disbelief, having to raise her voice over the storm. "Did you know there was a killer tentacle thingy in there?! Would you have suggested swimming if you knew what was going to happen?"

"Of course not!" Flame snapped.

"Then its not your fault!" Eritess stated, her eyes glinting with determination.

Flame suddenly seemed to deflate, turning his head to the side. "Lets just get back to the tunnel." He muttered, turning and walking back without waiting for her.

Eritess reluctantly followed, sensing that the subject was dropped. She wanted to make sure he understood. But at the same time, she was afraid to stand up and show him.

_'Maybe some day.' _She sighed, walking into the narrow tunnel.

…**.**

**Mwaha! Chapter conquered! **

**Nothing much to say... **

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**School starts Monday! D: NOOOOO!**

**Less time for writing. Less time for arts. Less time for complaining about how I have less time! :( Dumb school**

**Reviews!- **

**SilverDragon2891- Haha, I actually didn't consider that a cliffy or I wouldn't have stopped there. **

**Thank you! **

…**.**

"Toltarium..." Eritess murmured, gazing down at the city.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Cynder asked, a soft smile on her face.

"Its beautiful."

The stone city rested between two large hills, the sun's head just barely peeking out from behind. The array of stores and homes in the city reminded her of her own home. A golden clad temple rested just on top of one of the hills, reflecting the reddened glow of the sunset across the city. A clear stone dome rested on the top of the temple, letting in the little sunlight left. There were 5 white columns on each wall of the temple, carvings of long serpent like dragons wrapped around the top and the bottom of each column. Eritess noticed with a spark of interest that various gemstones were used for eyes on the roaring dragon's heads.

But what really caught her attention was the mini temple like building on the hill opposite of the temple. She peered closer, just being able to make out its silver designs. Making a mental note to check that out later, Eritess turned back towards the temple.

Trees surrounded the city where they could, taking up the outskirts of the hills. A blossom scented breeze blew by and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. The wind whistled through the trees, creating a melody of swaying branches and dancing leaves.

The red of the sunset reminded her of Flame. She sighed, looking at the color sadly. Ever since that night during the storm, 2 days ago, he had pretty much ignored her, only talking to her when it was necessary. She wasn't sure why, but it hurt more than she expected it to.

"Lets go!" Spyro called over the breeze and the dragons dived down towards the temple.

She landed softly on the ground beside Cynder, leaning over her shoulder to check on Adnon. The sight of the hatchling grabbing onto her mane with a big smile on his face made a ghost of a smile fall on her own lips. She followed Spyro into the intricate building as the two armored guards stepped aside to let them in.

The doorway was massive! It was at least 16 times her size! As the oaken doors parted, she peered in, her eyes the size of saucers. They entered a large stone room, its walls covered top to bottom in tapestries. Eritess looked around the room, gazing at each tapestry, marveling at their exquisite details. Some had different dragons on them with an elemental symbol weaved somewhere near the dragons. Some had fauns and cheetahs on them. A few even had sea serpents on them.

But the tapestry that caught Eritess's attention was the one on the back wall, hanging delicately in between two huge wooden doors. She walked across the smooth stone floors, oblivious to the quiet protests of her friends. Familiarity sparked in her as she stared intently at the yellow dragon. His silver eyes seemed to hold wisdom, which she had before thought was impossible for a tapestry. His posture was determined and prideful, holding a hint of arrogance in it.

"Torritask!" Eritess gasped loudly, peering closer at the tapestry. She turned to her friends with a huge smile on her face. "Guys its-" Her smile quickly melted off her face at the sight of four large dragons standing there, regarding her with amusement. Well... most of them. The golden dragon had annoyance written all over his features. She deflated under all the stares, peeking one last time at the tapestry.

"So you know about Torritask?" The blue dragon rumbled, bending his head down to inspect her. He had cream colored plates that ran down the middle of his neck and down his chest. His wing's were a pinkish color that clashed greatly with the golden and ruby accessories he wore. Two horns, the same color of his belly plates, adorned his head.

"Hes in my legend book several times. Hes one of my favorites." Eritess explained quietly, pulling out her said book and handing it to the blue dragon.

The golden dragon next to him gently took the book, looking it over. His annoyance disappeared for a moment and he looked up at her with skeptical blue eyes. He had cream belly plates that ran down his chest. Two brown horns were perched on his head, almost blending in with his brown wings. He wore golden and quartz jewelry.

"Where did you get this book? There is only one other copy on this earth." He stated, handing the book to the green dragon next to him.

"My mother gave it to me..." Eritess was feeling more and more nervous by the second.

"This also happens to be the original!" The green dragon exclaimed, his wings flapping in excitement. He, like the others, also had cream chest plates. His wings were a light brown while his horns remained a dark brown. He scanned the book with excited brown, almost black, eyes. His jewelry was golden with sapphires on it.

"Let me see." The pink dragon next to him roughly grabbed the book, making Eritess wince. He had golden and emerald jewelry on, the emerald resting on his cream chest plates. His horns and wings were a navy blue color that contrasted with his purple eyes. "This is a rare artifact, Thomas! Quite rare!" He began rambling, looking over the book with interest. "I'm afraid we must keep it here."

"What?" Eritess suddenly wanted to wrench the book from his hands. "No! Its mine!"

"But dearie, this is extremely rare! Only two on earth! You can't simply treat it like an ordinary book! It must be kept here, where it is safe." The pink dragon gazed down in awe at the battered book.

"Its perfectly safe with me!" She had never felt so much anger in her life. "You can't just take my book away! I've had it all my life!"

The golden dragon studied the distress on her face for a second before turning to the pink dragon. "Magnus, let her have her book."

The green dragon shook his head at the golden dragon. "Titan, this isn't something we can just hand away! The destruction of this book means that there would only be one book on earth!"

Titan's eyes flashed with anger. "Does that give us permission to just take her possession away, Astor?"

Astor pursed his lips thoughtfully before turning to Eritess. "Wait one moment." He said, disappearing in one of the massive doors beside Torritask's tapestry.

Eritess looked at Spyro, Cynder, and Flame in despair, her bottom lip trembling at the thought of her book being taken away. Cynder padded over beside her, taking a seat next to her. "It will be okay." She murmured comfortingly. "It looks like Elder Titan is on your side."

She opened her mouth to reply but Astor walked back into the room, a bag in his jaws. Instead, Eritess flashed Cynder a grateful smile before turning to the green dragon. He dropped the bag in front of her and the top was loosened enough for her to see an uncountable amount of gems.

"In exchange for the book." Astor rumbled, turning to walk back to her book.

"I don't want gems!" Eritess stated, jumping up. "I want my book!"

"Why do you want this book so badly?" Thomas finally spoke up, regarding her with curiosity.

"I don't mean any offense, sir." Eritess said. She pushed the gems back towards Astor with her paws. "But these gems mean nothing to me! I've had that book all my life and its been there through my best moments and my worst. It was the first book I ever read and I intend it to be the last. If the werewolves were kind enough to let me keep it, how can you be so heartless as to take it away?"

"Werewolves?" Magnus asked, exchanging curious glances with the others. "When ever did you encounter werewolves?"

"That's what we came here for. To tell you what happened and ask for answers." Spyro cut in, gazing up at the Elders.

"We weren't expecting to have our stuff stolen from us." Sparx muttered overhead.

Titan turned to Astor and Magnus with a huff. "So if the dragoness can just have her book back, we can go into a back room and they can tell us the whole story."

"No!" Astor and Magnus protested at the same time.

"Titan, we can't just let her take one of the rarest artifacts in the world and drag it across the lands!" Magnus said haughtily, holding the book tightly in his paws.

"Oh for the love of the shadow element!" Titan hissed. "Give the girl her book back! We're Elders, not thieves!"

"No!" Magnus snapped.

"You selfish, good-for-nothing, thieving twit!" Titan growled, taking an intimidating step towards the elder. The three elders began bickering with each other, Titan throwing out insults like no tomorrow.

"Enough!" Thomas bellowed, stopping the fight in its tracks. "We will discuss the fate of the book tonight! For now, it will stay with the dragoness."

Eritess eagerly reached out to grabbed her book but it was torn away from her by Magnus. "It will stay in the Elder's Safe!" He declared.

"Fine." Thomas sighed, suddenly looked like the old dragon he was.

Titan sent Magnus a deathly glare the whole time the pink dragon walked out of the room. Eritess watched her book disappear, her heart sinking with each step the Elder took until finally, he disappeared in the door Astor had gone through to get her gems. She looked dejectedly at the bag of gems they had been trying to trade her, wishing she had never come here.

Cynder draped a comforting wing over her back but not speaking. Adnon broke away from Flame and clambered over to her, climbing in between her front legs and leaning against her.

Thomas cleared his throat, breaking the heavy silence over the room. "Spyro, who is your new friend?" He asked, turning to the purple dragon.

Spyro sent her a sympathetic glance before turning to the blue Elder. "Her name is Eritess."

"Ah. Now. How were you adventures?" Thomas asked, steering away from the dragoness as soon as possible.

"Its been quite a thrill. We were just heading towards-"

Eritess blocked out the sound of talking, clutching her now empty bag with trembling paws. She looked up at the tapestry of Torritask. _'I wish he were here. He wouldn't let them take my book.' _She thought wistfully, her claws digging into the thick leather of her bag.

The door opened once more and Magnus entered. Her heart twinged when she saw that the book was no longer with him. Titan's glare intensified and he glared daggers at the pink elder.

"Now then." Thomas said. "Come along and we'll tell you all we can, yes?"

"Yea..." Eritess sighed, standing up and dragging herself after them with one last look at Torritask's tapestry.

….

Eritess sighed, leaning against the cold stone sill as she gazed dejectedly out the window. She had given up on sleep after a few hours worth of trying.

After her book had been taken, Thomas led them to a spare library room and they explained everything. To her disappointment, the Elders hadn't been able to give them any answers either. They had then led the dragons to their own spare bedrooms, Cynder's and Eritess's room were side by side while Flame's and Spyro's were across the hall. Adnon was currently asleep on their cushion, unaware that Eritess had left.

"You okay?"

She turned to meet the gaze of Flame. With a humorless chuckle, she turned back to the window. "As great as one can be after losing their home, having everyone forget them, then having their most precious possession stolen all in less then 2 weeks."

"Yea... Pretty cruddy week." Flame sighed, sitting next to her.

"Why were you avoiding me?" Eritess asked, tapping her claws against the stone.

Flame gave another sigh. "Its just... After I told you about my mother... I didn't want you to bring it up in every conversation we had."

Eritess rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on bringing your mother up every time I looked at you. In case you've forgotten, I don't have a mother either."

"But you have Mosk." Flame pointed out, avoiding her gaze.

"Yes, Mosk. The dragoness who randomly found a hatchling on her doorstep. The one who was too kind to just throw me out. The one who got sucked into raising a hatchling she didn't even want! My own mother just tossed me away like a doll! I guess I was too worthless to bother raising! Now the only thing I had during all those years of being the odd-kid-out, the suck-up, the coward, the bully target, has been taken from me because its apparently rare!" Eritess was hissing by the time she was finished with her speech.

All the pent up anger she felt released and she began weakly pummeling the stone wall. "Just. Because. Its. Rare!" She growled, accenting each word with a punch. "Stupid. Pink. Girlish. Elder!"

Paws shot out and wrapped around her wrists, pulling her paws away from the wall. "Quit that! You're going to break your knuckles!" Flame snapped.

"I don't care!" Eritess gritted out between clenched teeth. She tore her paws away, digging her claws into her mane. "My book..." She moaned.

"If your mother just abandoned you, why do you care about the book she gave you so much?" Flame asked, a little hesitant.

Eritess lifted her head from her paws and looked out the window at the stars. "Because... I've always hoped that somehow... She still cared about me. Maybe... That she thinks giving me up is a mistake. And sometimes... I kinda feel like that book... Is the only thing to her separating me from every dragon else in this world. And now that I don't have it, I'm just another dragon to her."

"You don't know this but when I was really young I had almost no friends. I was just the weird hatchling who spouted crap about warriors no one cared about. I did have one friend though; this hatchling named Weg. But when she moved away with her family, it was really just me and that book. I know I sound obsessed... well, because I am." Eritess looked down at her paws, the picture of defeat.

Suddenly, she lifted her head up, her eyes hard with determination. "And I'm not letting them take my book so easily." She jumped up, her muscles tense with anger.

Flame looked at her with surprise. "What are you planning on doing?"

"You will see." Eritess smirked at him before running down the hall as fast as she could. "Thanks for the talk, Flame!" She called over her shoulder.

"Uh... No problem?"

Eritess paused in her running, frowning. Sighing, she turned back to Flame and ran back beside him. "Is there a giant blank notebook anywhere that you know about?"

"Plenty in the library." Flame answered, looking up at her.

"Thanks!" Eritess called over her shoulder, running off again.

She ran to the library as fast as she could, knowing that she was losing precious nightlight. _'Library. Library.' _She threw open the door of the library, her eyes scanning the various books until they landed on the empty notebooks. Her eyes narrowed in determination, she grabbed as many as she could carry on her back and a few quills in her mouth then ran back to her room, quietly closing the door behind her.

_'Lets do this.' _She thought after filling out a few pages. She took her quill and on the fourth page, began writing.

_The darkness reigned over the land, casting unbearable shadows across the land. Deceit and lies swarmed under the surface of the most truthful.-_

…**.**

**I know the guardian's are kinda OOC. Sorry about that. **

**Titan was designed to be more like the Titan in Spyro Shadow Legacy (Nintendo DS) than the Titan in A Hero's Tail (PlayStation 2) **

**Eritess has got her game on. **

**Thank you for reading! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Yay! I managed to complete a chapter even with the impending misery school causes! I have to say, this chapter was quite fun to write. :D**

**Reviewees!-**

**Storm dragon Eclipse- And you are correct! :D Thanks for reviewing! **

**SilverDragon2891- I probably would be pretty mad if someone took my possession. Definitely not as cooperative as Eritess. **

**Barggg! Errors suck! Especially when I can't find out where they are! There are probably errors in this story as well. XD Thank you!**

…**.**

"This book means more than any personal value one may have for it. The first copy, this exact book, was made over 100 years ago, written by the grand-daughter of the ancient emperor, Tisthaldia." Magnus stated, dragging a paw down the cover lovingly. "Giving it to this dragoness would almost ensure we lose it to a disaster. For there are only two of these books made."

Eritess felt her paws clenching in anger as the pink dragon rambled on. Adnon was sitting beside her, her wing wrapped protectively around him. Finally, she lost it, reaching into her bag, pulling out her notebook and slamming it on the table. "There!" She hissed. "Now there are three copies!"

Astor reached over the table and grabbed the notebook. With a raised eyebrow, he lifted the cover and began reading through her writing. His eyes widened as he scanned through the notebook. He lurched over the table, grabbing the legend book and throwing it open. "Its exact!" He exclaimed, looking up from the notebook.

"I've memorized that book cover to cover. I can write as many copies as you want. Just please... Let me keep the only thing I have left of my mother." Eritess pleaded, her eyes watering.

"I'm afraid not, my dear." Magnus said haughtily. "This book is an ancient arti-"

"How did you become an Elder?" Flame muttered from his position at the table, glaring up at the pink dragon. "Certainly wasn't a heart."

"I'm only saying that; no matter how many copies Eritess makes, she will never be able to replace the original writing masterpiece of-"

"I don't care!" Eritess finally snapped. "To you that book is nothing more than an ancient binding of paper and words. But to me; that book is family, wisdom, dreams. I've lost everything of my old life in the past two weeks. Now you are trying to take away the only thing I have left to remember those memories. We came here for help, not to defend our possessions with tooth and claw. Please, Elder Magnus, I know you don't intend any harm, but please, just let me keep it and I will write you all the copies you could wish for."

Magnus studied her for a moment, his face thoughtful. Then Astor spoke up. "My dear girl, even if you were to write us thousands of copies, it would not match up to how rare this book is-"

"I work with idiots." Titan growled, speaking up for the first time since the fight began, which was quite unusual for him. "Just let the girl have her book and she will write you ten more in it's place!"

"I don't think you heard me Titan, this book was written by Tisthaldia! Unless Eritess can go back in time and have her write another book, this is the only object of its kind." Astor said, making what little hope she had left in her die away.

Tears flooded over her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around her face, sobbing. "The only thing I want." She murmured, her lip trembling. "Is to keep the only thing I have telling me that maybe, my mother didn't completely hate me before she left."

"You can have the possessions I have left." Eritess pulled out her leather bag, placing the meager handfuls of gems she had left on the table. "But please... Let me keep my book." Magnus bit his lip, gazing at her with uncertainty.

"Tell me." Thomas spoke up from his position. "If you had to choose between the book, or Adnon, which would you choose."

"Adnon." Eritess said without a hint of hesitation, pulling Adnon even closer with her wing. "Yes that book is important to me. But it is nothing compared to a life."

"I see." Thomas murmured, regarding her with a thoughtful gaze. "Well, I think we all know where the book would be safest at then."

"Yes we do indeed." Astor agreed. "So we shall keep the book in the Elder Safe and-"

"I say she keeps her book with her." Thomas interrupted.

"What?" Astor exclaimed. "You can't be serious, Thomas!"

Thomas turned his gaze on the green elder. "She still has her priorities straight. She hasn't let this book consume her whole life and she has already traversed across so much land without getting so much as a scratch on that book. As long as she can write plenty of copies for us, why not?"

Eritess looked up at Astor and Magnus, her wide eyes glittering with hope. Magnus turned away from her gaze, hesitant. "How many copies would you be willing to write?"

"Thousands! As many as you want!" Eritess exclaimed.

Astor shook his head. "The Book of Legends is much too important to just hand over! I'm sorry Eritess, I know it must seem unfair to have it taken away but it really is too important to give up. Why don't you just write a copy to keep?"

"Because that's not the book my mother gave me!"

"And that is also not the book Tisthaldia wrote." Astor stated.

Spyro sighed, burying his face in his paws. "If I had known this was going to happen, I would have never even thought about coming."

Cynder patted his shoulder with her paw. "We all know. Lets just hope this can be solved."

"Well at least we know where NOT to go next time." Sparx grumbled, hovering beside Eritess's head.

Eritess could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again. Her lip trembled as she tried to hold back her wails. She looked at her precious book that lay in the middle of the table, trying to be stolen from her. She looked up at Magnus and Astor, tears falling down her cheeks. "Please." She quietly begged, clenching her diamond-like tail in her paws.

Adnon glared at the two, a scowl on his face. "Give Eri back her book, bully!" He snapped.

"Please don't Adnon. But thank you." Eritess murmured, nuzzling him on top of the head before looking back up at the two elders.

Thomas softly smiled down at Adnon before looking up at the elders. "I personally believe that it is abusing our power by taking a dragon's object against their will. If Eritess wished to leave the book with us, then it is her choice but we have no right to just take it when she had clearly shown that she wants to keep it, rare or not."

"But Thomas, this book is-" Astor began.

"No." Magnus interrupted, making everyone turn to him in astonishment. "Thomas is correct. It is wrong for us to take Eritess's book. It's obviously more important to her than it will ever be to any of us. We Elders can keep the wonderful copy she made." He pushed the book across the table to her eager paws, an apologetic smile on his face.

A big grin crossed her face and she ran forward with a squeal of excitement. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She screamed, wrapping the pink elder in a tight hug.

Magnus gently pried her off, giving a few awkward chuckles. "I apologize for trying to take your book away."

"Its fine! It turned out good in the end." Eritess chirped, clutching her book to her chest. She sent an enthusiastic grin to the other. Astor sulked in the background, gazing longingly at the golden designs on 'The Book of Legends.'

Spyro's face suddenly turned curious and he turned to Elders. "There are only two copies in the world. One was written by Tisthaldia. Who wrote the other one?"

"An ancient dragon named Rinturc." Astor answered, gazing down at the table.

The whole room turned deadly silent. So quiet, one could have heard a mouse's footsteps. Flame was frozen at the other end of the table, his mouth slightly agape in shock. Spyro was still gazing at Astor, one paw on the table. Cynder's lips turned down in a big frown and she gained a desperate glint in her eyes. Sparx paused in his flight, gently drifting downward a few feet before he managed to move his wings again.

Eritess was still holding the book to her green chest but she was still, her eyes staring straight ahead in horror. She blinked and suddenly she fell backwards off her sitting cushion, not moving a muscle even when she landed on the hard ground. Adnon squeaked in surprise, turning his head to look at Eritess with wide eyes.

The loud thudding sound she made when she landed seemed to arouse the others and they unfroze. Flame sighed, covering his face with his paws. Cynder stood up and walked over to Eritess. "She fainted..." Cynder said, looking up at the others at the table.

….

Eritess leaned against the wall, holding a damp cloth to the top of her head where she had banged it against the stone. A bump was showing on her white scales, right on her forehead. She sighed, looking down at the ground instead of meeting anybody's stare.

A soft groan emitted from her throat as her head began throbbing. Elder Astor walked into the room, a red crystal in his paw. He handed it to her with a sympathetic smile. In less than a minute, it was drained and she took the cloth from her head. "Thanks." She murmured, handing him the now clear crystal.

"So... Why did Rinturc write a copy?" Flame asked.

"No one is quite sure." Astor answered, taking the cloth from Eritess. "All we know is that he did it."

"Wait a second. Hold up. Why didn't you tell us that Rinturc was the one who wrote the copy before? When we described all of the events that happened!" Sparx asked skeptically, hovering over Spyro's head.

"I apologize. It slipped my mind in all the excitement of finding Tisthaldia's book." Astor said hastily, glancing at Eritess's book with a longing expression. She wrapped her arm tightly around it, twisting to hide it from his view.

Both Spyro and Flame looked slightly suspicious as the whole group stared at the flustered Elder. Finally, Cynder snatched the attention away. "Do you have a guess of why Rinturc wrote a copy? Do you know anything else about Rinturc that you forgot to mention?"

The other elders were also looking at Astor with curiosity. Eritess could clearly see the green dragon shrinking under all the stares. Part of her took pity on the dragon. Part of her wanted to know the answers just as much as the other dragons.

"I honestly do not know why Rinturc wrote a copy. But there was one other fact that I forgot to mention..." Astor's voice fainted away as he gazed uncertainly at the dragons. "Its about Adnon."

Eritess instantly perked up, wrapping a wing around the hatchling and pulling him to her side. "What about him?" Spyro asked, suspicion dripping off his tone.

"Adnon... Is Rinturc's nephew." Astor said, looking down at his paws.

"What?" Eritess stammered, her wings going limp by her sides.

"Nephew?" Flame gaped.

"My suspicions are that he didn't just walk out of the nursery, he was lured. You were meant to find him. He was meant to be forgotten as well." Astor explained, biting his lip as he gazed around at the other dragons.

Cynder looked down at the hatchling. "Did something attract you out, Adnon?" She asked.

"There was a paper sword lying in front of the door. I thought about Torritask and how I wanted to be a warrior so I left when Ferrid wasn't looking. A strong wind made me drop the sword and it was flying backwards. That's when I got lost." Adnon said, leaning into Eritess for comfort.

Astor sighed. "Just as I figured."

"How could you forget about that?!" Titan snapped. "You aren't that old!"

"I was thinking about the book!" Astor stuttered defensively, looking once more at Eritess's book.

"I was thinking about the book as well but even I was able to throw in my two cents!" Magnus huffed, stepping in his line of vision.

"Would you two forget about the barmy book!" Titan glowered at the green dragon. Thomas sighed, covering his eyes with his paw as the Elders continued to argue.

"Eri?"

Eritess looked down at the red hatchling. "Yes, Adnon?" She asked softly, blocking out the sound of the bickering Elders.

Adnon's brown eyes filled with tears. "I'm scared. I don't want that mean dragon to get me." He whimpered, never once breaking eye contact with her.

She forced a small smile on her face but it refused to meet her eyes. "He won't get you." She murmured. "I won't let him touch you."

"He'll have to get through all of us to even see you." Flame said quietly, bending his head so he was closer to Adnon's level. "And we all know, he's screwed when he tries to get past our tough purple buddy."

"And his invincible yellow side-kick!" Sparx exclaimed.

Adnon giggled as the dragonfly began flexing his non-existent muscles, a look of comical rage on his face. Eritess felt her own smile creasing her lips as she watched Sparx's antics.

"Oh yes. Dear Rinny will turn tail and flee at the sight of our vicious ducky." Flame chuckled.

"Enough!" Thomas bellowed, making all the occupants of the room jump and turn to him.

"We will eat lunch and then settle this later!" Thomas snapped, pointing at the door and scowling at the other Elders.

The three grumpily complied, sending glares at Astor. The younger dragons exchanged glances before getting up and following them. Eritess smiled as Adnon ran up to Thomas, a wide smile on his face. "I bet even Ferrid could have heard you!" He exclaimed as he caught up to the blue elder.

Eritess walked beside Cynder, her book now safely tucked away in her bag. She felt immense relief each time she reached a paw up to feel the leather, smiling when the book was still there. "Do you want to learn to fight?" She heard Titan's voice beside her.

She looked up at him curiously, wondering if she had heard right. "What?"

"I asked if you want to learn to fight or not!" Titan snapped. "You aren't deaf. Quit acting like it!"

Eritess gulped, not expecting such a rage over a small question. "I- may- I- uh-" She stammered, unable to form an answer.

"Yes or no?" Titan scowled.

"Yes. Yes I would." She finally managed to get out, shrinking under Titan's glare.

"Good. Then meet me in the training room as soon as you finish supper." Titan ordered, quickening his pace to catch up with the other elders.

"Got it." Eritess said quietly, not sure whether she should be terrified or excited for these lessons.

…**.**

** Is it just me, or does anyone else think of Voldemort when they picture Sparx. I dunno why! But I mean... Sparx doesn't have a nose. Voldemort doesn't have a nose. Sparx is bald. Voldemort is bald. So basically, in my mind, Sparx is a Voldemort with antennas and wings. **

**Alright, alright. I'll stop being a potterhead. XD**

**Thanks for reading! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Omigosh. I have major MAJOR writers block for this story. -_- I can come up with short story ideas but when it comes to this story, my mind goes blank! Gah! Think brain! Think! **

**So yes, pretty short chapter. **

**Reviews! **

**SilverDragon2891- Well, I still see them the same as in the head shape. You can't really see Voldemort's nose unless hes breathing heavily and even then, it only looks like two holes in his head. Like flat ears. XD**

**Grammar Errors! The bane of writing existence! XD**

**Thank you!**

…**.**

"Don't use stand on your left paw if you are swinging your tail left! Are you stupid? That's the third time." Titan snapped as she stumbled to the ground.

Eritess sat up, rubbing at her sore leg. She had only been training for an hour with Titan and already she was getting used to his constant insults and criticism. "But if I use my right leg it doesn't feel as strong!"

"Agility is more important than strength. Especially for you. You have the strength of a hamster!" Titan barked, glaring in annoyance at her.

"If only I had the carrying capacity of a hamster." Eritess mumbled, getting to her paws.

"Now try again and if you use your left leg, I'll chop it off!" Titan ordered, watching her with a skeptical frown.

With a sigh, Eritess waited for the familiar sound of crunching glass, signaling the arrival of another one of Titan's target enemies. She turned to face the stone ape that was running towards her, surprisingly fast for legs the size of a pencil. She swung her tail, using the wrong paw once more and falling flat, covering her head when the ape tripped over her and shattered on the ground beside her.

Before Titan could comment, a slow clapping sound was heard. Confused, Eritess turned to the sound, surprised to see a beautiful light blue dragon sitting on her haunches in the doorway as she gave Eritess a sarcastic smile. She had three black spikes on the back of her head and two straight black horns. Her tail was a golden spade that accented the light purple coloring of her wings.

"So this is the amazing dragoness traveling with the trio! Eritess!" She said in a fake cheery tone. "Please. Elder Titan, you are wasting your time with her. She doesn't deserve to know the trio, much less travel with them."

"I decide who I waste my time with, Aldeneg." Titan grumbled, turning to face the newcomer. "Now if you will excuse us, I'm teaching."

Aldeneg rolled her strange pink eyes, turning to walk out of the door. As a second thought, she grabbed a nearby stone and flung it in the air before whacking it across the arena with her tail. Eritess gave a small shriek of surprise, ducking to avoid the stone hitting her face. "Good luck, Eritess!" Aldeneg called over her shoulder. "Not that it will be any use."

Eritess looked down at her paws, listening to the sound of the door closing. "Git. Now, Try again!" Titan instructed, turning back to the white dragoness.

"Am I really a hopeless case?" Eritess asked, looking up at the golden elder.

Titan scowled at her. "Do you think Spyro was born a fighter? No! He learned! He looked like a chicken at first, waving his paws uselessly about. Now, Try again!"

She had to force herself not to giggle at the mental picture. Instead of laughing, she turned at the sound of cracking glass. Once the ape was close enough, she swung her tail, remembering to use the right paw at the last minute. She grinned in victory as her tail connected with the ape, sending it shattering against the wall. "I did it!" She squealed, turning to look at Titan.

"Now lets put force and aim into that swing." Titan grumbled.

Eritess sighed. So much for praise.

….

"Oi! Eritess! Over here!" Flame called, waving the tired white dragoness over. He was sitting at a table with Adnon, Cynder, Spyro, Sparx, and to her horror, Aldeneg.

Eritess smiled at them, grabbing a meat and potato pie and sitting down next to them. "Whew. I'm exhausted!" She commented, placing her bag on the ground beside her chair.

"Titan working you hard?" Cynder asked, taking a bite of her own pie.

"Yes. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere though. And there is always something I'm doing wrong! Whether its my tail swinging too low or my eyes fixed on the wrong spot. I don't know how he sees everything!" Eritess exclaimed, ignoring the smug look Aldeneg got.

Spyro spoke up, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Titan does seem to have more things bad than good to say, but he is one of the best teachers on the entire planet! Its quite an honor to be trained by him."

"Yes, quite an honor." Aldeneg agreed, fixing her harsh eyes on Eritess. "Have you improved your tail strikes?"

"Um... Yes. I can strike without tripping now..." Eritess chuckled awkwardly, looking down at her pie.

Flame looked between the two dragonesses. "Have you two met before?"

"Yes. Aldeneg walked into my lesson and-" Eritess shrunk under Aldeneg's intense glare. "-and Aldeneg gave me a few pointers! Just to... help..." She shifted awkwardly in her seat, taking a small bite of her pie.

It was obvious most of the group didn't believe her but they didn't push it. Instead, Cynder turned to Spyro and began a conversation about Toltarium. Aldeneg conversed with Flame about recent gossip while Sparx hovered overhead, commenting about particular pieces of gossip he enjoyed. Eritess sighed, poking at the pie with a fork.

"Eri?" Adnon asked and she turned to look at the red hatchling. "That blue dragoness scares me."

"Aldeneg is a nice dragon. There is nothing to be afraid of." Eritess comforted, smiling at him. _'Funny. I'm quite terrified of her myself.'_

She looked back up, seeing as the others of the group were distracted with their own things. "You tired? Lets go to bed." Eritess suggested, slinging her bag around her neck. "I've lost my appetite."

"Yea." Adnon quietly agreed, clambering up on her back and clutching onto her mane.

"Good night everybody!" Eritess said, waving at the group.

"Sleep well, Eritess!" Cynder called while Spyro merely waved at her with a smile.

Flame just waved at her over his shoulder, continuing to converse with Aldeneg. Eritess took a sudden intake of breath as her heart twinged. _'What's wrong with me?' _She wondered, turning and walking out of the dining room.

Her mind traveled over the events earlier today, mainly Aldeneg. An unexpected wave of anger washed over her and as she stomped to her room she made her own challenge, show Aldeneg that she can't be bullied.

….

Eritess clenched her paws at the sight of the ape slowly disappearing into the ground. She failed. With a sigh, she turned to face Titan.

"You're thoughts are unfocused. If you can't coordinate your body, you have no chance. " He stated. "Stop focusing on whatever has you distracted and focus on training."

"Alright." Eritess squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed at her eyes. Against her will, her eyes dropped in tiredness, begging for sleep. She sighed, trying to focus on the lesson.

Last night, Diyeh had taught her how to grow plants. She could now turn a seed into a full-fledged plant. And all she could think about was the thrill she got every time she made a seed into a grown maple tree.

But this lesson had also seemed to exhaust her unlike the others. She didn't seem to have gotten a minute of sleep throughout the whole night.

She groaned, sitting on the floor. "I'm sorry Titan. I'm just strangely tired."

"Did you stay up all night?" Titan asked.

"It feels like it." Eritess sighed.

Titan regarded her with a thoughtful gaze before rolling his eyes. "Go take a nap. Expect to work twice as hard tonight."

Eritess smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you."

She got up and stumbled out of the room, her eyes drooping closed. _'I hope these lessons don't happen every night.' _

…**.**

** Okay I will TRY to figure out how I'm going to make the next chapter. Writers block sucks! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	17. Discontinued

Hello everybody!

This story hasn't been updated for quite a while for one reason and one reason alone, I have no flipping idea where I was going with this story... And no matter how many times I try, I can't think of any reasonable continuation.

So I'm sorry to say, this story is being discontinued. :( I'm really really sorry but I can't think of anything else to do. I've tried several times but nothing works! Gah!

BUT! I'm planning on starting another story soon, after I finish the plot outline and things like that. Again, I'm terribly sorry.

I was looking through my other stories last night and I honestly can't see how anyone likes them. DX They're awful! So hopefully my new story will be better. It probably won't be a romance though.

Thank you for your patience and understanding! :)


End file.
